......IT“ir‘iT)l‘’'’ll’TT"i!l'T‘Tl y J ^'iyAANHf)<. lAU S i;in;.:iy 1 <:n I. I _V U i I ran I AVH Cli ‘J>ld JACL Annual Giving Campaign Pacibc Citizen See p.6-7 National Publlcatton of the Japonese American Citizens Leogue Sl.»Po»lpo«U4.)Ne, #2815/Vol. 124, No. 3 ISSN: 0030-8579 Monterey Park, California (213)/25-0083 Feb. 7-Feb. 20,1997 Asian Americans at the Clnton Goto hougurot Welfare reform anxieties hit elderlyjssei ByALMU^IATSUCHI LTSC, some Issei broke down in JACL Pacific Southwest . tears when they learned that they Regional Director cannotenroll in the next dtizen­ ship workshop. The elderly Issei Many anxious elderly Issei have in particular are very fearful of been c^ling JACL’s 1^ Angeles losing their livelihood, in the form office in recent weeks to get of SSI checks and food stamps. assistance in applying for U.S. Many of them have lived in dtizenahip. The callers are le^ U.S. for decades, but never felt immigrants, but hot U.S. dti- compelled to give up their dtizen­ I zens. They are worried about ship of birth to become an losing critical government assis ­ Anterican. tance for the poor like Medi-Cal But the cold reality of welfare I ttwa was a dear and frigid inaugural day at the U.S. Locke (itpper right], who a saplac^com* health insurance, income assis ­ reform is prompting' many Issei I Capitol steps [at»%^] Mor^yi Jw. 20, when memorating his keyr>ote address fi^ Norman tance, and food stamps. to naturalize. Nondtizens will I PresktomCHnton and Vice President Gore were Mineta. lor^time San Jose congressman. A clear sign of prevailing anti ­ begin i^iving notices in the next smKn again into their respective offices before an Rep. Jay Kim (R-Calif.), the first Korean Ameri ­ immigrant sentiments in few weeks that their public assis ­ estimated 200.000 weB-wishers. can in Congress (tower righf\ and a CAPACI Washington and this nation was tance may be cut off. The elderly, On Saturday night, Jan. 18, the Congressional member and Mineta catch on the affairs of thepassageofthefederal welfare disabled, and o^ers may be cut Asian Pacific American Caucus Institute hosted its Asian American pbtHics. reform bill last August 1996. Non- off from their limited income first-ever inaugural party at the Onltol Hilton horK>r- Entertaining [towertofi] were pritna ballerina of'' dtizens were cut from welfare assistance and health care as early hig the election of Washtn^on Governor Gary Ballet Theater international Cbry-Jeanne assistance like Supplemental Se­ as August of this year. Murakami-Houck of Los Aiamos. N.M., and her curity Income (SSI) and food The need for JACL leadership partner Armmdo Luna, princ^ dancer of At­ stamps, and severely restricted is pressing. As California Gover­ lanta BaHeL Cory-Jeanne, incktontatly, is JACL from other programs, hnmi- nor Pete Wilson declared. Mountain Plains vice governor. ■ “Welfere reform is the biggest of all wd&re redpirata, wiD bekr challenge facing the state this CJB4 LEW PHOTOS an estimated 44 percent of the year ." And that challenge is stor­ cuts. ing in the ^res of the most In response to the overwhelm­ vxilnerable members of the Japa ­ ing demand, the JACL Pacific nese American community. Southwest District is woridng About seven out rf every 100 with the Little Tokyo Service persons of Japanese ancestry in (Center (LTSC), anonprofitsodal America lived in povert>' in 1989, ' L, to organize according to the most recent p workshop, work- Census figures. Many of these will be designed to help 'people living in poverty are Japanese-speaking le- elderly. ■-V- gal Residents apply for U.S. .JACL needs volunteer leader­ dtizenship. ship and support to help the After JACL and LTSC an ­ elderly Issei. JACL chapters are nounced a workshop on February needed to sponsor future dtizen- , 8. 1997, the two offices have been ship workshops. .Volunteers are getting a high volume of calls ne^ed to help out at these work-, inquiring about U.S. dtizenship. shops. Finandal support is also Workshop enrollment reached -its requeste<Lfor the workshops and capadty of 50 partidpants soon other public education activities. after the workshop was an ­ To support JACL's citizenship nounced, and the waiting list for campaign, call (213) 626-4471 or future workshops has grown in a write to JACL, 244 San 'Pedro San Francisco school board seeks 4W«ek to over 70. Street, Suite 507, Los Angeles, According to Alice Ishigame of CA, 90012. ■ WWII evacuee high school graduates The San Francisco Unified by Executive Order 9066 is Yoehito will, and that “it’s never too late to School District will honor an esti­ Steve Hirabayashi, principal, say ^u’re sorry. Even '54 years mated number of 200 WWII-era John O’Connell Technical Alter­ late is not too late. ’ Nisei hij^ school studejrts who native High School, 1920-41st Howard Mizuhara said Evacu ­ were evacuated, thus denied com­ Ave., San Francisco CA 94102 (fax ation was "one of those things that mencement l^pnors with their 41&759-2729) and San Francisco happens. ” What hurt was that his dassea, in May. 1997. The San JACL, do 1765 Sutter St., San teachers and principal said noth­ FrandscD Board ofEducation will Francisco CA 94115. ing, notevengoodbye. "Thepeoi^e belatedly award them a SFUSD Three students recalled those w^ should have spoken up, didn’t hi£h school diploma. gri-im times with Son Francisco Nobody said anyUiing, ” he added. To apologize to these students, Ch'hronicle reporter Steve The idea to award the dipksnas a resolution, “Redress in the Rubenstein. belongs to Allen White Glide SFUSD^ Honoring Japanese Graphic designer Hatsuro Methodi^ Churdr who was he^ American Srodenta,* authored by Aizawa was a month away from ing plan tne 60th anniversary <Sa- adioOl boani ccnnmissioDer Leland graduation at Lowell Hi^ School ebration of Washington High ^ Y.Yee.Ph.D..wa8pa8aedNov.ll. in 1942. "While a diploma was School. He was ahock^ to read a It directa Superintendent Bill mailed to him because someone at Herb Caen column on the Evacu ­ Rojas to carry out the search to the board decided he was close ation and students being banished identify the students (including enough to graduation, he missed into interrunent camps. White maiden name), ascertain the year out in the cap and gown ceremony. c^led ra 6diool board member of graduation (1942. 1943. 1944, While a hi^ school graduation Yee, who wrot^ the resolution to 1945), name of the high sdiool would be, he said, Mdiculous* for present the overdue diplomas. where the student would have a 71-year-old znan.tje would go for Sra Francisco sdrools are not graduated,- present address and it. the first to award overdue diplo­ phone number, if deceased, next Retired dvil engineer Masani mas. Los Angeles Hi^ School did of kin, and whether or not the Kawaguchi was a IS-jrear-oki jun­ so a few years ago as have others student will attend the commeoce- ior at Washington IBgfa when be in Califomia, Stanford ment if adieduled in May, 1997. and his fiunily were sent to the Universify and the University of AssisUng^ superintendent to stables at Tanfbran Aasembly Califimua at Bericeley. ■ Honotable Judge Lance Ik. poses with Racffic Citizen's i identifystudentsdirectiyafiectad Crater. He said be bearsears no iU assistant editor, Caioilne Aoyagi. See story page 3 PACIFIC GJTTZP.N FEB 7.20. 1997 Non'meimber Readers JACL calendar Get all the news arid features from across the country SUBSCRIBE TO THE PACIFIC CITIZEN ATTENTION; Alcatendarilems-JACLand Community—wiB be contained on mis one Intermounta in______ Pacific Southwest Please send the Pacific CHizen for page as far as possible. TIME-VALUE is the NATIONAL JACL ___ I yr/$30 ____ 2 yts/$5S ____ ^3 yrs/$80 chief oonsiderabon. NATIONAL JACL < Thu.-Sim., Mveh 20-23-National JACL Fri.-8un.. Oct 10-13—FWlieth anr^vetsary board end staff meeting. JACCe 2nd floor ^4Ulow 6 weeks for xUrm dia «to begin. Eastern 1000 Club celebration. Cactus Pete's. conference room, 244 S. San Pedro St., Jackpot Nev.. into: Hid Hasegawa, Idaho Los Angeles: Ho; Natl H04iSi92i-522S. DISTRICT COUNCIL Falls 208^29-1525. NOTC—Co-bosts: NOTE—Thu.; Sta« retreat Fii.; 9 a.m. Si;:------- — SaL April 5—EDC Quarterly Session. 10 Intermoontain District Council: Friday night Corntnaeos. 2-5 p.m.. Board; Sal; 9-5. mixer. Saturday god. banquet. Si^y City, State, Zip:____________ ;______________ ^_________ a.m„ Sheraton Society H9 Hotel. 2nd and Board: Sun.: 10 a.m.-noon. Walnut Sts.; Host Phiadelph ia JACL. infa getaway breakfast. Airport shuttle-bus Fri.*Sun., June 20-22 (tentative) —Nat l Al sufaKripfom poy^ in otlvgnca. AdilitionolUSS22(orporiageperye«{orintefTiq^ional Grayce Uyehara. 609.«54-3685. senrice from Salt Lake City or Boise to JACL Youth Conference, UC Irvine (site Jackpot to be coordinated. sufateriben. 0>tdspoyAle*o:PodBcGfaei>,7CMponioGrde,Ma<MeyPBA.CA917SS PHILADELPHIA under consideration). Natl HO 415/92t- SaL Aprfl S—6b(h vmiversary Instaflationt 5225. NOTE—Warren Furutani. keynote 6 p.m.. Happy hour & eidilblL 7 p.m. dinner. Sheraton Society HH Hotel, 2nd and Wainui Pacific Northwest STRICT COUNCIL JACL MEMBERS Sts., info: G. Uyehara 609«S4-3685, Sat Feb. 8 —Arizona JACL hosts: PSWDC 1998; July 1-6—35th bienraal Natl JACL DISTRICT COUNCIL 1997 quarterly session. Phoenix irm, 2310 E. July18-19—Bi-Disirict PNW/IOC Convention. Sheraton Society Hill. Highland, info: JACL Office 213«2&-4471. Change of Address - Philadelphia. Conference at Seattle. ARIZONA ALASKA If you have moved, please send information to: SaL Feb.