LOS ANGELES — On July 31, 2012, the Rafu Shimpo published George Yoshinaga’s column, “Horse’s Mouth - About Signing ‘Markers’ In Vegas, which opened with one of his typical, misguided, ignorant rants that had nothing to do with the headline of his column. This time, Yoshinaga railed against the much-publicized exhibit at the Heart Mountain... Continue Reading →
Honorary Degrees Only For Living Japanese Americans Forced To Leave USC During WWII Not Enough
COMMENTARY: USC must change course and award honorary degrees, not just to living Japanese American students who were forced to leave the campus during World War II, but also to those who have since passed away. USC should also apologize for its racist, unjust treatment of its Nisei students in 1942. LOS ANGELES — Over... Continue Reading →
We Hate To See The Great Ones Go: Sue Kunitomi Embrey
Editor’s Note: As I was standing in front of the audience, relating my experiences with, and my deep admiration for, Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, at the July 17, 2011 event in which the Manzanar Committee honored her (see Manzanar Committee Lauds Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga With Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award On July 17, 2011), I could not help... Continue Reading →
Japanese American Community Loses A Giant: William Hohri Passes At 83
The Japanese American community lost one of its giants on November 12, 2010, when William Hohri, the lead plaintiff in Hohri v. United States, the class action lawsuit filed by the National Coalition for Japanese American Redress (NCJAR), passed away at the age of 83. Hohri, who was one of the 11,070 Americans of Japanese... Continue Reading →
Grateful Crane’s Soji Kashiwagi Weighs In On Use Of “Concentration Camp”
Another voice in the debate on the use of euphemistic terms to describe the Japanese American Internment experience is that of playwright Soji Kashiwagi, Executive Producer of the Grateful Crane Ensemble. Responding to Rafu Shimpo columnist George Yoshinaga, who has, for many years, argued that concentration camp is not an appropriate term to describe the... Continue Reading →
More From Okazaki On Use of “Concentration Camp;” Refutes Rafu Shimpo Columnist George Yoshinaga
On September 8, 2010, Rafu Shimpo columnist George Yoshinaga once again railed against the use of concentration camp to describe the camps that Americans of Japanese ancestry and their immigrant parents were imprisoned in during World War II.In Yoshinaga’s column, “Horse’s Mouth: Raku, A Japanese Restaurant” (Yoshinaga’s comments were also included in a separate column,... Continue Reading →
Manzanar Committee Member Joyce Okazaki: “Yes, It Was A Concentration Camp”
On August 31, 2010, Rafu Shimpo columnist George Yoshinaga, who has for many years railed against the use of “concentration camp” to describe the camps where Americans of Japanese ancestry and their immigrant parents were imprisoned during World War II, published the text of a letter written by Eunice Sato, former Mayor of the City... Continue Reading →
Honorary Degrees Awarded At UCLA To Former Japanese American Students
LOS ANGELES — On May 15, 2010, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) awarded honorary degrees to former Japanese American students who were forced to leave the University due to their forced removal and unjust incarceration in American concentration camps during World War II. Approximately 200 students were forced to leave the campus not... Continue Reading →
41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage: A Letter To Obaa-chan
by Jaymie Takeshita Dear Grandma, Every time I talk to you on the phone, I tell you about all the things I do with the UCLA Nikkei Student Union (NSU), right? I have yet another NSU story for you. Yesterday, a bunch of us from UCLA went on the 41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage. My friends... Continue Reading →