Responses to Hate
Confronting Racism
Portland Chapter - July 2007: A local Portland newspaper has published a series of articles in which the derogatory term "Jap" is used repeatedly and unabashedly. The St. John's Review writer, Jim Spiers, claims that "it's far better to be historically accurate than to fold under the pressures of today's nonsensical notion of changing names to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent." John Kodachi, JACL Portland Chapter President, responded in a letter to the editor that "It's not about changing names to protect the innocent, but rather, understanding the negative and dehumanizing effect caused by racial epithets today."
Midwest Office - May 2007: A Japanese web magazine based in LA adopted the moniker "Jappy Girl" in its marketing campaign, unaware of the racially negative connotation the term holds for Japanese Americans. In a statement to the magazine's editors, JACL Midwest Director Bill Yoshino, wrote, "You should be aware that the term "Jap" and its derivatives such as "Jappy" are racial slurs. […] Racial slurs such as "Jap" or "Jappy" have been used to dehumanize and demean Japanese Americans for over a century," urging them to desist in using the term to promote the magazine, which was supposed to be a portmanteau for "Japanese" and "happy". The magazine has since acknowledged the slur and changed its name to JPy.
Midwest Office - May 2007: Amid a series of correspondences between a City of Tokyo tourism representative and Altour, a New York-based tourism company, one of Altour's employees commented in an email, "From the wonderful folks who brought you Pearl Harbor." Aki Hiraki, the tourism representative, brought the matter to the JACL's attention, and an apology for the remark was promptly issued by Altour.
Watsonville-Santa Cruz Chapter - May 2007: Racist graffiti and a fake bomb were found on the Scotts Valley High School campus in Santa Cruz County, CA, shutting down the school for a day. Graffiti included a four-foot swastika and racial expletives, allegedly targeting those of Asian and Mexican descent. Paul T. Kaneko, First Vice President of the chapter, responded in a statement that the incident was "disappointing, disturbing and reprehensible. We are concerned that it happened at all, and that it is not an indication of something more sinister. It is encouraging to know that the School District and the High School quickly responded with the closing of the school to investigate the situation and quickly condemned the acts of vandalism and hate." Police believe the vandalism is tied to an Aryan organization in the area.
Midwest office & San Francisco Chapter - April/May 2007: National JACL/Ford Fund Program Fellow Brandon Mita and the JACL San Francisco Chapter expressed shock as well as urged for the firing of CBS owned New York radio disc jockeys. WFNY-FM's Jeff Vandergrift and Dan Lay prank calls a Chinese restaurant and tries to order "shrimp flied lice." Additionally, the show hosts mock the employees. Click here to read a copy of Mita's letter. The San Francisco Chapter of the JACL voted to condemn the actions of the radio station's disc jockeys and wrote this letter to CBS Radio Chairman and CEO, Joel Hollander. The DJs, along with the show, have since been dropped from CBS.
Midwest Office - April 2007: The shootings at Virginia Tech have recently prompted one high school administration to take action against an Asian American student. Allen Lee, an 18-year-old straight-A student at Cary-Grove High School, was arrested Tuesday near his home and charged with disorderly conduct for an essay police described as violently disturbing but not directed toward any specific person or location. Bill Yoshino, JACL Midwest Director, wrote a letter to Illinois State's Attorney as well as e-mails to Cary-Grove High School Principal, Susan Popp. In both communiqué, Yoshino cautioned against the idea of racial profiling and the connection between Cary-Grove student, Allen Lee, and Virginia Tech shooter, Seung-Hui Cho.
Midwest Office - April 2007: JACL Midwest Director Bill Yoshino reacted to the beating of an Asian American student at Auburn University where the student said he was targeted in the wake of the incident at Virginia Tech. In his letter, Yoshino, stated, "We urge a thorough investigation into this attack, which resulted in physical injuries to the victim for the purpose of apprehending the perpetrators. We also urge that this assault be investigated as a possible hate crime…The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) cautioned against reprisals directed at Asian Americans in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy knowing that the potential for this existed…We further urge that Auburn University take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of its student from bias motivated attacks."
Washington DC Office - April 2007: In the aftermath of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, JACL National Director, Floyd Mori issued a statement with the following "the potential for negative reactions or backlash toward individuals in the Asian American community exists inasmuch as an Asian was identified as the gunman. The JACL cautions against misguided reprisals directed at Asian Americans. We want to reinforce this at the local level by asking our chapters to maintain a heightened degree of vigilance in monitoring for hate incidents and hate crimes. We ask that you be prepared to respond to acts of defamation or hate crimes . If you need assistance in responding, please contact one of our offices. Please contact Bill Yoshino regarding any general questions you may have related to this. Thank you for your vigilance. Click here for a copy of the JACL press release regarding the Virginia Tech incident.
Midwest Office - April 2007:The JACL responded to radio commentator, Don Imus, after his comments criticizing the Rutgers women's basketball team by calling them "nappy headed hos." To read the JACL's position, click here.
Midwest Office - April 2007: Mike Reynolds, owner of a Chinese take-out and delivery restaurant called Eggrolls Etc. in Tucson, Arizona, thought it would be clever to post advertisements stating, "Every order is delivered via rickshaw by first generation Chinese immigrants…We should really charge more for delivery, old Chinamen are getting expensive." In response to the Asian American community's complaints to the advertisements, Reynolds states, "I don't see why I would be required to stop doing what I spend my money on because a minority of people are upset." William Yoshino, Midwest Director, reacted by sending a letter to Reynolds stating, "Your logic for maintaining the ad is shameful. You indicate that you can spend your money in anyway you deem fit regardless of whether it offends a "minority" of people. Your right to speech is clearly protected, but at what price? The minority of people you mention constitutes the Asian American community throughout this country who do not consider the use of this racial slur as a joke. You are playing a game of racial arrogance that only causes harm to an entire group of people."
Midwest Office - March 2007 [Update from October 2006]: In October 2006, William Yoshino, Midwest Director for the JACL responded harshly to Verla Clevenger, a school board member for a high school in Midlothian, Illinois, who used racially offensive slurs in electronic messages over a controversy involving the dismissal of the school's superintendent. Since then, Rev. David Mensing, a member of the Bremen H.S. District 228 Board of Education, informed the JACL Midwest Office that the Board adopted a resolution expressing regret "that this incident reflected poorly upon our school district. Moreover, we want to assure the public that the Board in no way practices or condones racial and ethnic prejudice and intolerance, nor does it discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation." In a separate communication with the JACL Midwest Office, Vera Clevenger apologized for her use of racial slurs.
Midwest Office - January 2007 [Update from December 2006]: On January 10th, Bill Yoshino, participated in a press conference stating that the Asian American community is adamantly opposed to dedicating a Chicago park district ball field in the name of Mike North, a local radio broadcaster who used the slur "chinaman" in referring to Chicago Cubs Korean pitcher, Jae Kuk Ryu. Later that evening, Yoshino and members of the Asian American community testified before a packed local school council meeting at Senn High School. The local school council rescinded their original support for naming the field for North and referred the decision back to the city councilman who determined that the field would not be named after Mike North.
Pacific Northwest Office - January 2007: Following articles marking the 70th anniversary of the Rape of Nanking, the JACL Pacific Northwest office received a voice message from an unidentifiable female who stated, "I'm only calling after looking at an article regarding Japan. I think your low birth rate is terrific. I think that what you did to Korea and China was incomprehensible. After looking at Japanese soldiers sticking a rifle up the vagina of a Chinese woman especially. I'm terribly sorry, by joining Hitler I know that your country was denigrated in some ways for being Asian, but by joining Hitler, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were deserved, but I obviously wish Germany and Austria had been wiped off the map. But that's history, and nobody seems to know what history is, and abuse is. All I ask is that people look at their own history."
Midwest Office - January 2007 [Update from December 2006]: Since December, Bill Yoshino and Brandon Mita, Program Fellow for the JACL, have sent letters of concern and video excerpts to the CEO and staff at Electronic Arts, a video game maker, drawing attention to sections where the racial slurs are used repeatedly in the game Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault to describe the Japanese soldiers. Electronic Arts replied with a general consumer response from communications director, Jeff Brown.
Midwest Office - January 2007: Midwest Director, Bill Yoshino, wrote a letter to Marinette County District Attorney, Brent DeBord, following the murder of Cha Vang in the woods just north of Green Bay, Wisconsin. James Nichols was arrested and charged with murder in addition to other charges. Yoshino urged DeBord to thoroughly investigate the possibility of a hate crime. This is the second incident where white hunters have clashed with Hmong hunters in the upper Midwest region. Additionally, in Yoshino's letter to DeBord he states, "It appears that the local community would benefit from a program that focuses on non-discrimination where the public is reminded that discrimination is illegal and the Hmong community is informed of their rights and encouraged to report discriminatory treatment."
Hoosier JACL - January 2007:Throughout the month of December and into January the northeast area of Indianapolis, Indiana, has been tagged with disturbing graffiti spray painted on several utility and traffic light boxes. In the photo, the message reads "Don't Buy Jap Crap." The local Hoosier JACL chapter has contacted local officials to clean and remove the offending message.
Midwest Office - January 2007: In North Dakota, two Japanese American students were the target of harassment and racial insensitivity as two white students approached them on several occasions calling them "slant eyes." Bill Yoshino, Midwest Director of the JACL, sent a letter to Merlin Dahl, Principal of the school, stating the students violated the school's non-discriminatory policy to prevent and handle situations that involve racial taunting.
Florin JACL Chapter - January 2007: In response to Senator Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) withdrawal of giving an award to Basim-El Karra of the Sacramento Coalition for American Islamic Relations, the Florin Chapter of the JACL wrote a letter to Senator Boxer condemning her actions in reneging on the award. Click to view a pdf of the letter.
Midwest Office - January 2007: An Asian American family on Chicago's southside has been harassed and their property vandalized by members of their community. In an email to the JACL Midwest office, a woman described the horrors of being called "chinks," and having rocks and pop cans thrown at them. Their home has been vandalized on several occasions. JACL has since referred the families to contact the Chicago Commission on Human Relations for follow-up. The JACL Midwest Office is closely monitoring this incident.
JACL National Office - December 2006: Floyd Mori, JACL Interim National Director, contacted NBC's top executives in regard to the usage of negative stereotypes of Asian Americans in a popular television series titled, "The Office." Throughout the show, Steve Carell has troubling distinguishing between two Asian women. In one scene, Carell takes a permanent marker and slyly draws a black line on one of the girl's arm to tell the two apart. Mori responds stating, "This action is abhorrent because it reduces these women to commodities and reinforces tasteless stereotypes of Asian women." The JACL has demanded that NBC apologize for its tasteless humor and never again use such negative stereotypes in their shows.
JACL Midwest Office - December 2006: Mike North, a Chicago sports radio broadcaster, who was challenged by the JACL earlier in 2006 for his usage of the word "Chinaman" when describing former Cubs pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu was close to having a Chicago high school field memorialized in his honor. Bill Yoshino, JACL Midwest Director, responded immediately and garnered support from the local Asian American community to halt the actions of the school board and the local city alderman. The decision to name the field after North will be revisted at the the January school board meeting.
JACL Midwest Office - December 2006: Bill Yoshino, JACL Midwest Director, contacted Electronic Arts concerning a video game titled Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault that was released in 2004. The video game, which revolves around the Pacific Theater of the Second World War takes the participant through the missions of an active marine fighting against the Japanese Empire. What the JACL finds most disconcerting is the consistent use of the word "jap" throughout the game. Yoshino states, "Your usage of the term 'jap' perpetuates the use of this racial slur and may also send a message to youngsters that it is acceptable for them to use the slur depicted in Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault." The JACL has demanded that all remaining games be removed from the shelves and that content for the games is put under strict guidelines.
JACL NCWNP Office - October 2006: Patty Wada, NCWNP Regional Director, attempted to contact East Bay radio station KNBR over the on-air statements made by deejay Brian Murphy towards Japanese hot dog eating champion, Takeru Kobayashi. While on-air, Murphy labeled Kobayashi as "the little monkey." No formal response or apology from the radio station yet.
JACL Midwest Office - October 2006: Verla Clevenger, a school board member for a high school in Midlothian, Illinois, used racially offensive slurs in electronic messages over a controversy involving the dismissal of the school's superintendent. According to reports from the Daily Southtown, one of her emails stated "DAM JAPS CAN'T TELL ONE COLOR FROM ANOTHER MAYBE IT WS [sic] CHINA." William Yoshino, Midwest Director for the JACL, responded to Clevenger with a letter stating, that the JACL is "particularly incensed that in your position as a school board member, you do not recognize that the J-word is offensive and that you have not accepted responsibility for your intolerant behavior." Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch also publicly stated, "I'm extremely offended. I'm offended for my community, for the district…What she put in writing was just way out of line."
JACL Midwest Office - September 2006: Brandon Mita, Program Fellow for the JACL Midwest Office, responded to the use of a racial slur by a member of a congressional campaign in Minnesota. A campaign director from Representative John Kline's campaign repeatedly yelled at people driving foreign-made cars, who were entering a parking lot for an event of Kline's opponent, Coleen Rowley. The director screamed "another Jap car." He later issued a statement saying "I apologize if my words offended any Americans of Japanese descent, including my sister-in-law. I allowed my emotions to get the better of me and used a phrase commonly used in my youth. But which is now inappropriate and offensive." Mita's letter to the campaign indicated that "we are deeply disappointed by the behavior of the campaign director…be assured that his use of the racial slur did offend."
JACL NCWNP Office - September 2006: At an American Civil Liberties Union - Northern California (ACLU-NC) Townhall Meeting, one of the panelists, former White House Counsel John Dean used the phase "not a Chinaman's chance" when referring to the possibility of President Bush's possible impeachment for the White House. Patty Wada, NCWNP Regional Director, contacted the ACLU-NC concerning Dean's usage of the slur writing, "'Chinaman' is a racial epithet, and whether used hatefully with intent or uttered out of ignorance, it is derogatory and offensive. It is unbelievable that with his vast experience, Mr. Dean does not realize that "chinaman" is a disrespectful and insulting slur. The JACL cannot overstate our dismay that a man of his stature would invoke such language in any context."
JACL Midwest Office – August 2006: The JACL Midwest Office reacted to a Chicago Power 92 morning radio host's comments warning people not to go to Asia because cats and dogs are being killed and eaten. The radio host also said that the spread of AIDS in Asian countries is due to the large number of homosexuals. In a letter to the station, the JACL stated, "This distasteful display by the hosts illustrates their penchant for trying to invite controversy at the cost of smearing others."
JACL NCWNP Office – August 2006: Don Stott, a precious metals dealer, wrote a column in Gold Digest using derogatory phrases that included "Almond Eyes" and "Jap". JACL NCWNP Regional Director, Patty Wada, immediately responded with a letter to Stott raising concerns about the content of the article. No official response from Stott has been received. Click to view the pdf of the letter.
JACL Midwest Office – June 2006: Amidst a flurry of reports of misconduct on the part of Toledo's Tower 98.3 FM radio hosts by calling Asian American businesses and mocking them, the JACL Midwest Office issued a letter to the station calling the hosts' action an outrage. In addition to a letter, Bill Yoshino signed on to a nation-wide petition calling for, among other things, a formal apology.
JACL Midwest Office – June 2006: Mike North, a sports broadcaster for WSCR, a CBS owned radio station in Chicago, made reference to Chicago Cub pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu during a morning broadcast saying, "Who was the Chinaman on the mound the other day." Following a strong reaction by the Asian American community, North was forced to publicly apologize (click to view his apology.). A group of Asian Americans, including JACL Midwest Director Bill Yoshino, met with the station's management. A portion of the meeting consisted of reinforcing the harm caused by the use of slurs and stereotypes. The station management stated that they will not tolerate future incidents, indicating that they will invoke sanctions if it happens again. They also indicated they will provide diversity training for their staff as well as intensify efforts to hire Asian Americans.
JACL Midwest Office – March 2006: Reacting to a Munster, Indiana newspaper account, Bill Yoshino wrote and called the FBI in Indianapolis about an incident where the word “sand n-----” was scrawled on a garage door of a residence where the family’s car had been set afire a day earlier. The FBI indicated that they were aggressively pursuing the investigation taking into account the hate crime aspects surrounding the case.
JACL Midwest Office – March 2006: The JACL Midwest Office wrote to the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum located in Charleston, SC raising concerns about one of their programs in which scout troops are shown a World War II film depicting Japanese warplanes where the narrator uses the word “japs” repeatedly. The museum’s scout program, which awards citizenship and aviation badges, also has a flight simulator exercise where participants shoot down Japanese planes. In the letter, the JACL asked the museum to remove the film and change the flight simulator exercise. Click to view a pdf of the letter.
Hoosier JACL – February 2006: David Suzuki contacted WZPL-FM regarding their casual reference to “those Japs” during a conversation about video games. Suzuki contacted the radio station protesting the use of the term and reported the incident to the Human Relations Commission. Following discussions with Suzuki, the station manager, Phil Hoover, issued an on-air apology saying, “we all know the J-word has a hate-filled history, and to Japanese Americans it scars deeply.” He went on to state, “Sensitivity to and the promotion of diversity should remain priority number one for all of us and for all citizens.” Click to view his full response.
JACL Headquarters – October 2005: JACL national director John Tateishi wrote a letter to Newman’s Own, Inc., protesting the use of a stereotype on the packaging of Newman’s Own Chinese salad dressing that depicts a picture of Paul Newman with a Fu Manchu moustache and coolie hat.
Diablo Valley Chapter, San Francisco Chapter & JACL Regional Staff – September 2005: Diablo Valley JACL President Judith Aono, San Francisco JACLer Les Hata and NCWNP Director wrote letters to the Superintendent of the Orinda Union School District following the defacing of Glorietta Elementary School with swastikas and hateful graffiti that read, “Kill Jews,” “The KKK is God” and “Burn Jews.” The police were treating the incident as a hate crime. The JACL requested that affirmative steps be taken, such as instituting programs on diversity and tolerance and offered our assistance in creating such a program.
JACL Midwest Office – September 2005: Midwest director Bill Yoshino wrote a letter to the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor police department regarding an incident where two students urinated on two Asian American students as they walked beneath a balcony. Bill has maintained contact with the Ann Arbor police who continue to investigate the incident, which is also under investigation by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
JACL Pacific Southwest Office – September 2005: The PSW office contacted California State University Dominquez Hills after learning that the term “jap” was used as an abbreviation in the university’s Fall 2005 Class Schedule. The university acknowledged the error and made appropriate changes on its website and on future class schedules.
San Jose JACL – August 2005: Chapter President Tom Oshidari wrote to Cinequest to protest the screening of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” for its racist and stereotypically-drawn character, Mr. Yunioshi, played by actor Mickey Rooney. California Assembly Member Judy Chu, who chairs the California Assembly Committee on Hate Crimes, also wrote a letter to urge that Cinequest cancel its screening of the film.
JACL Headquarters – July 2005: The National Director, NCWNP Chapters & JACL Regional Staff called and wrote letters to Radio Station Wild 94.9 FM in San Francisco and its owner Clear Channel to protest the hiring of Rick Delgado, who was fired in NYC for his part in producing and airing the racist and despicable “Tsunami Song.” NCWNP Director attended a downtown rally in San Francisco to protest the same.
Portland JACL – July 2005: Chapter president Rich Iwasaki participated in a rally sponsored by the Muslim American community condemning the senseless acts of violence in London Egypt and Iraq. The rally was held on July 30 at the Terry Schrunk Plaza.
San Francisco JACL – June 2005: NCWNP director Patty Wada spoke at an Asian American community meeting with 49ers owner John York about its team training video that demeaned Asian Americans, women, and gays & lesbians. NCWNP Director participated in composing a joint letter with other APA organizations to protest the video and demand appropriate action by the team.
Dayton, OH – June 2005: Ron Katsuyama chaired a task force that wrote the University of Dayton Policy and Procedures for responding to hate crimes and bias-related incidents on campus. Ron also gave a presentation at an FBI conference in Cleveland on campus hate crime policies.
JACL Lodi Chapter, Florin Chapter, Sacramento Chapter, Stockton Chapter – June 2005: Reached out to the Muslim American community following the arrest of two Pakistani Americans in Lodi on suspicion of terrorist activities. NCWNP Director wrote letters to both Lodi Mayor John Beckman and Lodi Chief of Police Jerry Adams on the need to guard against backlash that may be directed toward the Muslim American community in light of the fear generated by the arrests and the media.
JACL Watsonville Chapter – May 2005: Paul Kaneko sent a letter to New Jersey 101.5 FM, protesting the remarks of their morning radio hosts who made outlandish remarks regarding the mayoral candidacy of a Korean American. (The radio hosts, Craig Carton and Ray Rossi apologized on-air for their remarks.)