.. ' ···· :e ':,:.< •. ~ .•••••.••.• ," .... : : Newsstand: 25¢ $1.50 postpaid (U.S., Can.) / $2.30 (Japan Air) #3008/ Vol. 138, No.3 ISSN: 0030-8579 National Publication of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) FEB. 20-MAR. 4, 2004 AT&T Wireless and 'Channel Guide Magazine' Criticized for Use of 'Jap' Japanese Canadians Recall WWII By CAROLINE AOYAGI Americans and Asian Americans Experience, Lessons For Today Executive Editor have paid a price for the emotion­ By CAROLINE AOYAGI including his parents and seven ferent from the Japanese American al message," he wrote. "Our con­ Executive Editor siblings, were forcibly interned, experience. We were treated so AT&T Wireless and the cern is that even its use as an the memories of that time still much worse," said Moritsugu, who "Channel Guide Magazine" were abbreviation may bring unwar­ Renowned Japanese Canadian linger on. was a speaker at a JEMS (Japanese loudly criticized by JACL and ranted credibility to the term. journalist Frank Moritsugu was Moritsugu was 19 years old, the Evangelical Missionary Society) other Asian American groups for "I have no doubt that Japanese born and raised in British eldest son, when Japan attacked panel discussion Feb. 5 about the their use of the racial slur "Jap" as Americans and others seeing your Columbia, and although he loves Pearl Harbor. Shortly afterwards Canadian WWII experience. the abbreviation for Japan, use of the term will be repulsed to visit· the Joining him prompting quick apologizes and and disinclined to use your inter­ beautiful was Rev. promises to remedy the errors. national wireless." Canadian Eddie Yoshida, In national, full-page ads - Rosa Alonzo, director of inter­ province he .pastor of the including the New York Times, national marketing ' for AT&T can no longer Wesley Chapel Wall Street ]oumal, Newsweek, Wireless, immediately called live there. Japanese Fel­ JACL representatives to express and the Los Angeles Times - "There are lowship in AT&T Wireless promoted their the company's apologies for the too many Toronto. international cellular phone rates ads, promising to pull them imme­ memories up Although to various countries including diately and change the abbrevia­ here," he says, the U.S. gov­ France, Mexico and Japan. The tion for Japan to the accepted pointing to his ernment gen­ ads feature an Asian woman get­ "Jpn." The company has also set head. "I have erally kept JA ting out of a car and just below her up a review process for ads deal­ love for the family mem­ face is the word "Jap" to promote ing with Japanese Americans, Pacific Coast bers together wireless service to Japan. Japan, and Asian Pacific but I can't live in the camps, Several JACL members con­ Americans, so this type of mistake there any­ Moritsugu tacted national headquarters in does not happen again. more." noted that Ja­ San Francisco and the various "As soon as we leamed of the' PHOTO: CAROLINE AOYAGI Moritsugu pan e s e regional offices across the country error, we immediately instructed (L-r): Rev. Sam Tonomura of JEMS; Rev. Eddie Yoshida of Toronto; Harry was one of Canadian fam­ to express their shock and unhap­ our advertising agency to fix the Honda, Pacific Citizen editor emeritus; and Frank Moritsugu of Toronto. 23,000 Can­ ilies were split piness with the use of the racial ad," wrote Alonzo, in a letter of adians of Japanese ancestry im­ both the U.S. and Canadian gov­ up by the Canadian government. slur. apology to all JACL offices. 'The prisoned in internment camps ernments ordered mass evacua­ Married men and sons were sent to Bill Yoshino, Midwest regional abbreviation for Japan will now throughout the Canadian West tions of persons of Japanese work in road camps and on sugar director, contacted AT&T wireless appear as 'JPN.' In addition to my Coast during World War II. ancestry from the West Coast into beet projects while their wives and representatives immediately, personal apology, we have also Although it's been more than sixty desolate internment camps, forc­ children resided in one of six expressing their concerns ... 'The made a public apology via a state­ years since his entire family, ing them to leave behind homes camps in various inne~ B.e. towns, term is a racial slur with a history ment released to the press. and most of their possessions. including Greenwood, Sandon, of demeaning use. It's been our "We deeply regret any offense They were now labeled "enemy New Denver and Slocan. Those . experience that wherever the slur COMMENTARY aliens" by their respective coun­ who resisted the government's has been directed, Japanese See AT&T! page 2 Hate Fi nally tries. wishes were rounded up by the "In some ways the Japanese OBITUARIES Hits Home Canadian experience was very dif- See CANADIANS! page 9 By ANDREA K. PARKER Community Mourns Passil1g of Jeanne Feeling Overlooked, Asian Americans .Honda, Wife of California Congressman, ] had been trying to think of a good topic to write about for a Try to Raise Political Profile and Fred Hirasuna, JACL Leader submission to the "Youth By DEBORAH KONG citizens of voting age; that Jeanne Honda, wife of U.S. away on Valentine's Day. She and Forum" for AP Minority Issues Writer exceeds the 1.3 million votes that Representative Mike Honda, D­ her husband Mike would have cel­ almost two separated President Bush and Al Calif., passed ebrated their 37th wedding weeks when I They've watched presidential Gore in 2000, Narasaki noted. away at the anniversary in June. .opened the hopefuls woo NASCAR dads, When it comes to political par­ age of 61 on Jeanne was born in Hiroshima, front door of blacks in South Carolina and ties, Asians are almost evenly split the morning Japan on July 14, 1942, and at the my apartment Hispanics in New Mexico, and between Democrats, Republicans of Feb. 14 . age 'of three witnessed the atomic recently and now some Asian Americans are and independents, said Daphne Jeanne had bombing. She and her family saw one staring me right in the wondering: What about us? Kwok, executive director of the eventually moved to San Mateo, been diag- face. Saying they're . tired ,of being . Asian Pacific American Institute Calif. where she attended San . nosed with a As I reached down to grab our overlooked, AA activists are try­ for Congressional Studies. rare cancer in Mateo High School and San Jose school newspaper, The Daily ing to make their voices heard by "Our votes could easily be March ·2003. Family members State University. Iowan, from the porch, a big, bold, candidates and political parties. swayed by candidates who under­ were with Jeanne at the family Jeanne began her teaching top-of-the-front-page headline Eighteen groups jointly released a stand our community, understand home in San Jose when she passed See OBITUARIES! page 11 glared at me: "OFFICIALS first-of-its-kind platform of their our issues," K wok said. INVESTIGATE ALLEGED I.e. priorities for presidential candi­ Bringing together such a diverse HATE CRIME." dates Feb. 12, while a separate group - Asians come to the Inside the See PARKER! page 2 effort is in the works aimed at per­ United States from 50. countries suading Asians to vote in a bloc and speak more than 100 lan­ Pacific Citizen for a single candidate. guages and di~ects - hasn't been "In this election season, I think easy. National News .....3-4 we've been fairly invisible," said "Outwardly, non Asian Karen Narasaki, president of the Americans see us as one group­ Youth Forum ........5 National Asian Pacific American ing," said EunSook Lee, executive Community News ....6 Legal Consortium, a member of director of the National Korean the coalition that created the plat­ American Service and Education Sports ..............7 form. Consortium. "At the same time, Candidates look to Asians "for we have different priorities." Commentaries, Cartoon financial support for campaigns, The 75-page . agenda released but they're not reaching out to our Feb. 12 js the result of a yearlong ...................8 communities in terms of caring effort by the National Council of about our votes." Asian Pacific Americans, a coali­ Calendar ..........10 'J{Q1to(u(u, 'lfawaii. Though Asians comprise a tion of national and regional AA 2\~a·tO-15, small portion of the overall nation­ groups, including the JACL. Obituaries ......... 11 ..... :fq,e4 al population - about 4 percent 'This is really the first time - they are concentrated in key we've come together and said Book Page .........12 ~~~FE~S electoral states. In California, for www.ja~lh~waii' : org . ..... example, there are 1.9 million AA See PROFILE! page 11 2 PACIFIC CITIZEN, FEB. 20-MAR. 4, 2004 hate crimes are. I've always given reason this crime hit especially The AAC is pulling for them all PARKER 100 percent support to severe pun­ hard) and I was now fighting them to be expelled and will use this to ~aclfic (Continued from page 1) ishments for those who commit hate with other peers. Three of the implement an action in addition to Y citizen crimes and the continued efforts to alleged attackers fled the scene, and the ribbon' campaign. There are So, it had finally come to Iowa. educate the public. But for me, this the one who was caught (the instiga­ plans in the works for a rally and a After so many years in JACL hear­ situation hit home because it was tor of the whole event) pled guilty to letter writing 'campaign. 7 Cupania Circle, ing about hate crimes - how to Monterey Park, CA 91755 something I could empathize with_ public intoxication and disorderly Even though this incident was ter­ Tel: 323/725-0083, 800/966- fight them, etc.