Greg Robinson - The great unknown : Japanese American sketches

Japanese American Sketches

Greg Robinson

University Press of Colorado

Boulder

2016 by Greg Robinson

Published by University Press of Colorado

5589 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 206C

Boulder, Colorado 80303

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

The University Press of Colorado is a proud member of Association of American University Presses.

The University Press of Colorado is a cooperative publishing enterprise supported, in part, by Adams State University, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Regis University, University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado, Utah State University, and Western State Colorado University.

This paper meets the requirements of the ANSI/NISO Z39.481992 (Permanence of Paper).

ISBN: 978-1-60732-428-7 (cloth)

ISBN: 978-1-60732-429-4 (ebook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Robinson, Greg, 1966 author.

Title: The great unknown: Japanese American sketches / by Greg Robinson.

Description: Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2016. | An anthology of articles that originally appeared in the column, The Great Unknown and the Unknown Great, in the Nichi Bei Times and the Nichi Bei Weekly, and several articles that appeared in other periodicals, as well as some previously unpublished material. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015043305 | ISBN 9781607324287 (cloth) | ISBN 9781607324294 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Japanese AmericansUnited StatesBiography. | Japanese AmericansUnited StatesHistory.

Classification: LCC E184.J3 R6352 2016 | DDC 973/.04956dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2015043305

Credits
Nichi Bei Times: Arthur Matsu, Masuji Miyakawa, Hugh MacBeth, Queer Heritage 2007 (Kiyoshi Kuromiya, etc.), Robert Kuwahara, Kathleen Tamagawa, Guyo Tajiri, Eddie Shimano, Isamu Noguchi, Kajiro/Fred Oyama, Ina Sugihara, John Maki, Basketball (Wat Misaka/Dr. Yanagisawa), S. I. Hayakawa (2 parts), Paul Robeson, Baseball (Jose Nakamura, Bill Nishita, Yosh Kawano), Women lawyers (Tel Sono, etc.), Milton Ozaki, Conrad Yama (Hamanaka), Queer History 2008 (Noguchi, etc), Kay Karl Endow, Ralph Carr/Earl Warren, Jun Fujita, Alan Cranston, Prewar Chicago, Chino/Ohi Family, Koji Ariyoshi, Min Okubo, Hood River Japanese, Queer 2009
Nichi Bei Weekly: Reiko Sato, Jenichiro Oyabe, Ayako Ishigaki, Lincoln Seiichi Kanai, Queer 2010, Norman Thomas, Anne Reeploeg Fisher/Morton Grodzins, Issei women overview, Fuki Endow Kawaguchi, Shio Sakanishi, Sam Hohri, Hisaye Yamamoto, Gordon Hirabayashi, Yon Stafford, Queer 2011, Naomi Nakano, Louisiana, Robert Chino, Research methods, Queer 2012Same-sex JACL, Mervyn Dymally, Gyo Fujikawa, Shinkichi Tajiri, Stanley Hayami, Yasuo Sasaki, Footnotes, Clifford Uyeda/Ben Kuroki, Bowling, Setsuko Nishi, John Franklin Carter, Regan v. King, Afterword
Discovernikkei: Buddy Uno/Bill Hosokawa
Nikkei Heritage: Death penalty
Feminist Press at CUNY: Ayako Ishigaki
History News Network: McCloy Memo, Michelle Malkin
Densho Encyclopedia: Eleanor Roosevelt

To Thanapat Porjit, with deepest affection

One community leader once told me that the role of the community press, and the Nichi Bei in particular, was to validate our experience. I initially scoffed at that concept, momentarily tossing it aside as an overreach of self-importance. However, given the closure of Northern Californias two historic Japanese American publications in 2009, Ive found that notion to not only be true but essentially serve as a mantra for our nonprofit rebirth after the inevitable dissolution of the Nichi Bei Times.

This tome in your hands epitomizes the importance of the community press in preserving history.

On behalf of the Nichi Bei Foundation, its nonprofit publication the Nichi Bei Weekly, its predecessor the Nichi Bei Times (19462009), and, before that, the Nichi Bei Shimbun (18991942)what the author of this book refers to as our current publications grandfatherIm proud to introduce Greg Robinsons new volume of groundbreaking work based on his column The Great Unknown and the Unknown Great in the Nichi Bei Times and Nichi Bei Weekly.

The Great Unknown and the Unknown Great has been one of our most popular columns, and Im grateful that fellow Nichi Bei columnist Chizu Omori had introduced Greg to me back in 2007, when Greg and I first discussed the idea for his column. His work truly reinforces our newfound educational mission as part of our nonprofit rebirth, and he writes in an accessible manner as well. A quick survey of his work clearly shows that he has written on a diverse array of topics (women, arts, literature and journalism, sports, activism, nonJapanese Americans who helped Japanese Americans, civil rights, etc.).

Over the years, some of his pioneering work has uncovered some hardly known figures in Japanese American history, such as the first professional football player of Japanese descent (Arthur Matsu), those who helped to defend the rights of the Japanese American community (such as African American attorney Hugh Macbeth), and comic artist Robert Kuwahara, who was featured in our The Many Faces of Manga exhibit at the Napa Valley Museum, National Japanese American Historical Society, and other locations. His pieces on Louisianas Japanese American community and the Japanese American community in prewar Chicago were especially eye-opening, as are his pieces on Japanese Americans who played roles in landmark events shaping American history such as the Oyama familythe family behind the historic case that overturned Californias Alien Land Actand pioneer multiracial Japanese Americans. In addition, he has brought attention to the important intersections of Japanese Americans and African Americans, such as Mervyn Dymally, an unsung hero of the Japanese American Redress Movement.

Gregs work not only pulled these historical figures out of the margins or footnotes but also helped us to realize that the deeper richness of the great Japanese American mosaic goes well beyond stories found within the model minority stereotype.

But perhaps Im most proud of creating a space for his annual LGBT history column, which for several years we have intentionally placed in our most widely (geographically) distributed issue of the year, our Obon and Summer Festivals Guide.

Gregs column adds so much depth to our publication and helps us fulfill our goal of giving a voice to the voiceless. And he also understands the role that the Nichi Bei has played in terms of providing him access to the community and creating a welcome place for his research.

Seeing Gregs Nichi Bei columns published in book form is akin to seeing a baby grow up and set out on its own in the world. Im truly humbled that Greg has asked me to write a brief foreword to this marvelous collection of his work, and we are proud to see his important work reach and engage a broader audience.

One heavy responsibility of the Nikkei community press, I feel, is documenting the communitys history for generations to come. Years from now, researchers will still refer to print publications for research purposes, just as they do today. And so we are grateful that alongside our day-to-day documentation of our communitys history, we have Greg Robinsons columns to provide added depth and research into yesteryear, revealing hidden or unknown truths of how we came to be, where weve gone, and the people who shaped the development and advancement of our communities. Many of them may be unsung heroes, but thanks to Greg Robinsons work, they are no longer