1946- Iva Ikuko Toguri D'Aquino, radio broadcaster (and possibly the "Tokyo Rose") charged with Treason

In March of 1946, Iva Ikuko Toguri D’Aquino was convicted and imprisoned on the charge of Treason. Iva Ikuko Toguri D’Aquino was an American born citizen, born in Los Angeles. Her parents were immigrants- her father came to the US in 1899, her mother in 1913. She grew up a girl scout and attended Methodist schools. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Zoology. A relative became ill in Japan so in July of 1941 she traveled to Japan from LA, she was also interested in perhaps studying medicine in Japan. Before she left, she was issued a Certificate of Identification because she did not have a passport, so when she applied for a passport from the UC Vice Consul in Japan to come back to California in September, they did not get to address her request before the attack on Pearl Harbor in December. The attack had cut her relation to the US, from America’s perspective. She was employed by a radio broadcasting company by an American in Japan, and she received her own show entitled Zero Hour. Many veterans of World War 2 believe that she was the voice of Tokyo Rose, a nickname the Allied soldiers gave to one of the female radio broadcasters they had been listening to from the NHK- Nihon Hoso Kyokai- Japanese Broadcasting Association. NHK was a Japanese propaganda broadcast, but Toguri claimed to be loyal to the US. Witnesses claimed that she had been giving away military information over the radio and that she was announcing planned US attacks but She denied ever saying any of what the witnesses claimed she said over any of her shows. She remained in jail for one year, but was released on good behavior and lack of evidence, for no actual recordings were found of Toguri ever saying any of what was supposedly said. In 1976, Ron Yates exposed the two witnesses as they gave false testimonies- they were coached before the trials to lie against Toguri. Yates wrote articles arguing her innocence, and in 1977 President Ford pardoned her and restored her citizenship.


Imprisoned, 1946

Toguri being questioned

Iva Toguri was a Japanese American caught up in a sticky situation in which her American-ness was ignored. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was no way the US would continue to let any person of Japanese descent into the country, regardless of circumstance. The fact that she was an American born citizen did not matter in the least, regarding legality. As long as she had a Japanese name and particular narrow eyes, she could not get back into the US. Her forced stay in Japan, however, opened an opportunity for her to maintain a form of connection to her homeland as her broadcasts were tuned in to by American and other Allied soldiers. She kept the soldiers updated on frontline news and played popular American music during her Zero Hour show. The false accusations against her made by the two witnesses convey the idea that people were agitated by the fact that a Japanese woman was making broadcasts to the Allies. Even though NHK was a Japanese Propaganda radio corporation, Toguri remained loyal to the US in trying to make her broadcasts propaganda-free and lighthearted. Her pardon in 1977 by President Ford portrayed to Asian Americans that they finally understand and fully recognized Iva Toguri’s American citizenship, and that she was truly an American in remaining loyal to the US. Ultimately, (the suspected) Tokyo Rose’s plight from her trip to Japan to the present illustrates how non-Asian Americans have become more accepting and trusting of Americans of Asian descent. Asian Americans gained a sense of relief and satisfaction from Toguri’s redemption as an American citizen. Furthermore, this event helped open the minds of both Asian and non-Asian people alike; that ethnicity is diminishing as an obstacle for citizenship.

1947- Wataru Misaka, first Japanese American pro Basketball player is cut from New York Knicks

Wataru Misaka was the first Japanese American to play professional Basketball in the highest level of Basketball in America. Misaka was born on December 21, 1923 in Ogden, Utah. His father emigrated to California in 1902 then moved to Ogden where he went to work for his mother’s uncle farming. He played for the University of Utah in 1944 and had been a valuable player to his team in leading them to the NCAA and was chosen by Ned Irish, the owner of the New York Knicks, to join the team. After playing three regular-season games in 1947, however, Irish decided to cut him. (Misaka- nicknamed “Wat”- had scored seven points during the three games he played in. Furthermore, standing at 5 ft 7 inches, people claimed that it would have been hard for Misaka to keep up with all the bigger guys on the opposing team.) Shortly after, Wat decided to enlist in the US Army. He spent nine months in the American occupation of Japan. He stated in an interview that the Japanese people [in Japan] looked at [the other Japanese American army soldiers] and saw them to be “very different.” Also in the interview, Wat said that he did not believe that his cut from the Knicks had anything to do with race. After participating in the Army, Misaka went back to the University and received a degree in Engineering.




Wat represents America’s growing acceptance of people of other races, as he was drafted into one of America’s most famous Basketball teams. Basketball is a sport intended to attract audiences and fans to come and watch the games; the famous, professional teams exhibit the country’s best athletes and in a sense is a representation of the country itself. Ned Irish’s act of drafting Wataru Misaka from Utah reveals America’s newfound willingness to accept people of other ethnicities as normal Americans to comprise the basketball teams who are displayed internationally to represent America as an athletic and competitive (and now, multicolored) nation. In addition, Wat expresses a sense of racelessness, as he disregards the fact that he is Japanese when he joins the US Army to aid in the American occupation of Japan. Even though joining the Army would mean participating in the opposing party against his own race, perhaps he disagreed with what the Japanese military did to Pearl Harbor, as did all other Americans. Despite all the weird looks and raised brows he received in Japan, his sentiment remained purely American.

Jack Yoshihara (OSU Football player)

In 1941, the Oregon State University football team reached the Rose Bowl for the first time in the school’s history and then proceeded to upset no. 2 ranked Duke—an exciting experience for any college student, just being at the game and cheering on your teammates who you’ve left blood, sweat, and tears on the field with. But for Jack Yoshihara, that experience was taken away from him before he could even reach it.

While practicing with his team in mid-December like he always had during the season but that day was different. As one of Jack’s teammates recalls

"I will never forget that day," said George Zellick, a teammate of Yoshihara's. "It was late afternoon. It was drizzling. We noticed two men coming onto the field. They were very well-dressed, wearing overcoats and hats. You could tell they were different people. They met with the coach and, the next thing we new, Jack left with them. It was the first indication that Jack had a problem."

It was at that moment that Jack was transported to Minidoka internment camp in Idaho where Jack spent the next few years of his life. In an interview with Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times on November 22, 2008, Jack reveals the conditions of the camp in which he lived:

"The wood floors were really dirty and the big mistake we made was hosing them down. All the animal manure underneath came though the floors."

The next fall, Yoshihara and his parents were sent to Minidoka, where it dipped to minus-21 degrees in the winter and hit 104 during the summer.

"They just had barracks, with wood siding and a tar roof," Yoshihara said. "We could see the dust come through the walls when the wind blew. And it always blew.

Jack’s story is the story of many Japanese Americans during World War II, who had their lives stripped away from them at such a young age. It’s hard to imagine how life would be under those conditions and to persevere and live the rest of your life without any hard feelings is really tough. America’s internment of its own citizens is a disgrace and shows the lengths at which the United States government will go in the name of self-defense. In a similar way, U.S. citizens who the government believes to merely look like a terrorist are interrogated or taken in for questioning—it shows that the United States doesn’t learn from its mistakes and that it is still very paranoid about its own citizens whether they are innocent or not.

Thai Nguyen

Forbidden City Nightclub

Though founded in 1938 in San Francisco by Charlie Low, the Forbidden City Nightclub reached its greatest popularity during World War II and the remainder of the 1940s and throughout the 1950s. It was the first and most popular of twelve cabaret clubs that were Asian-themed in the San Francisco area and it drew comparison as the Asian Cotton Club because of the multi-ethnic group of performers that performed for a predominantly White audience. However, rather than playing to the stereotypes or “authentic ethnic” representations of Asians, the club focused more on the styles of the time period.

The club was able to show White American audiences that Asian Americans were not the highly foreign bodies that they thought Asians were but more than capable of assimilating and adjusting to American culture. Asians were seen dancing American dances, singing American songs, and most importantly, speaking English without an accent. It gave white audiences a different perspective on who Asian Americans were at the time but unfortunately it had a very regionalized effect as most of the audience consisted of people on the West Coast and particularly the San Francisco Bay Area. A few other negatives stemming from the nightclub was that it perpetuated a highly sexualized and exotic image of the Asian American woman and that no matter what ethnicity the performer was (Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean or other Asian Americans) they were presented as Chinese, playing into the stereotype that all Asian people look alike.

In order to create publicity for the club, Charlie Low advertised his performers as the Chinese version of popular white performers such as Larry Ching who was nicknamed “The Chinese Frank Sinatra.” This provided a double effect in that these Asian performers were put into an white role and their success was based on how well the performed these roles. In addition, it denied them success as people with their own artistic vision, that they would always be placed in this role that was different from who they are as individuals and as performers. However, for many of these performers working and performing at the Forbidden City Nightclub, this was the only opportunity that they had for work because of the discriminatory practices against Asian Americans at the time. The nightclub also provided these performers with a launching pad for their careers to which a good number of them gained a lot of success in the years following their employment at the club.

Thai Nguyen

1949- James Wong Howe marries Sanora Babb

James Wong Howe, relative of Anna May Wong, was born in Taishan Guangdong, China in 1899. His father emigrated to America when Howe was born to work on the Northern Pacific Railway and 5 years later sent for his family to live with him in Washington. Howe’s interest in photography began at an early age, and grew exponentially after his several oddjobs in Los Angeles, being a photographer’s delivery boy and taking stills during film productions under director Cecil B. DeMille. Howe developed a new method of photography as he captured a darker look in the eyes of Mary Miles Minter as she was producing a film with DeMille. Minter adored the photograph, so she made Howe her preferred photographer. Howe then established a reputation for himself as he was able to make female actresses look their best without having to cover them with any filters or stuff like that. He eventually built his way up and became a popular cinematographer and developed new methods of cinematography as well (ie: handheld camera, the camera dolly, lighting techniques, deep focus, and many more.) He then married (Caucasian) novelist Sanora Babb in Paris in 1947. It was not legally recognized because of the anti-miscegenation laws and interracial marriage bans at the time in the US. Their marriage was legally approved in 1949, after all such laws (such as the ban on interracial marriage) were realized to be unconstitutional. The Hays Code, the banning of a non-Caucasian to kiss a Caucasian on screen, however, lagged behind in being abandoned much later in 1968.




Sanora Babb 1938


The marriage of these two accomplished individuals was met with much scrutiny. The judge who married them just said, “She looks old enough to marry, if she wants to marry a chink that’s her problem.” It took them three weeks after inter-racial marriage was made legal to find a judge that would marry them, but even the one they found was disheartening. Considering the fact that the law banning people of different faces to join in marriage was in effect for so long, starting from the time when Asians and other immigrants established themselves as minorities in America, there was probably opposition coming from both parties, Asian Americans and White Americans alike. The law was in place for so long that no one in the country would be fully accepting of a marriage between two people of different races. James Wong Howe and Sanora Babb, however, defied these discouraging odds and wed anyway. This wedding in particular was significant to the lives of other Asian Americans in the nation because both of them were quite popular, so everyone had to find out about such a marriage. Having this inter-racial marriage be displayed for the country to see creates the sense that Asian Americans, (and non-Asian Americans) can marry whomever they wish to marry. The people of America started the process of acknowledgement in accepting the fact that people of different races are not so different after all, and that a miscegenated love (and that which follows) does not pose a threat to the American nation.

Go For Broke! (1951 Film)

In 1951 the movie Go For Broke! (directed by Robert Pirosh, produced by Dore Schary and stared Van Johnson, Robert Nakamura and several veterans of the 442nd Infrantry Regiment) was released to the American audience. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of the 442^nd infantry unit which was a unit that predominantly consisted of Nisei, second generation Japanese Americans, who were fighting primarily in the European theatre of World War II.

The film focuses on the experience of Van Johnson’s character, Lieutenant Michael Grayson, who has recently been assigned to the 442^nd when he was expecting to the 36^th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard. Initially, Johnson is angered by the fact that he is leading a battalion full of Nisei soldiers because of his narrow mindedness about the war in which he joined to fight Japanese soldiers, not to fight with them, and in effect he led his battalion with very harsh and strict adherence to regulations. Eventually, Grayson discovers the meaning behind the battalion’s catch phrase, “Go For Broke!” which is a pidgin phrase that means to gamble everything. In the end, Johnson’s character gains respect for the Nisei soldiers that he is fighting alongside because of their attitudes and their willingness to fight for their country and they eventually discover that he has defended them against bigotry by members of his former infantry unit.

The unit itself is one of the most decorated units for its size and the length at which the regiment was in service in the United States Army. However, it also holds the distinction as one of the units with the highest rate of casualties. Below is a list of distinctions that was awarded to the unit:

· 21 Medals of Honor (the first awarded posthumously to Private First Class Sadao Munemori, Company A, 100th Battalion, for action near Seravezza, Italy, on April 5, 1945; the others upgraded from other awards in June 2000).

· 52 Distinguished Service Crosses (including 19 Distinguished Service Crosses which were upgraded to Medals of Honor in June 2000)

· 1 Distinguished Service Medal

· 560 Silver Stars (plus 28 Oak Leaf Clusters for a second award)

· 22 Legion of Merit Medals

· 15 Soldier’s Medals

· 4,000 Bronze Stars (plus 1,200 Oak Leaf Clusters for a second award; one Bronze Star was upgraded to a Medal of Honor in June 2000. One Bronze Star was upgraded to a Silver Star in September 2009.)

· 9,486 Purple Hearts

The importances of the unit as well as the film revolves around the question of how does one determine who is American and who is not? Is it based on skin color or is it based on the heart behind each person? The unit goes to show that just because a group of people don’t quite look like they’re Americans that doesn’t make them any less American nor do they represent a less patriotic American.

Thai Nguyen

1944 - CHINESE AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN WORLD WAR II

Chinese Americans, like all other Americans, bravely served to preserve the American way of life and to advance democratic ideals around the world during WWII. Of the six million Americans who were drafted or enlisted to serve in the Second World War, over 20,000 Chinese Americans served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Marines, and the Coast Guard. These brave men and women served with honor in the European, Pacific, and the China-Burma-India Theatres of Operation. While most of these men and women are descendants of earlier Chinese immigrants, some were also first generation immigrants. It has been documented that these servicemen and women brought valuable skills and served the United States in a number of different capacities, as fighter pilots, intelligence operatives (Europe & Asia), infantrymen, nurses, and others throughout WWII. These great Asian Pacific American soldiers were honored by Congress on October 26, 1999.

First time in history, Chinese American women were recruited to serve with the Army Air Force as "Air WACs during WWII. They were often called the Madame Chiang Kai-Shek Air WAC unit. Hazel Toy Nakashima and Jit Wong were the first two women to become "Air WACs." They served in such jobs as photo interpretation, air traffic control and weather forecasting.

Other important Asian American women during WWII, were Chinese American Hazel Ying Lee and Maggie Gee. Hazel was one of 38 Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, who died in the line of duty. Maggie Gee, took male military pilots up for qualifying flights to renew their instrument ratings and co-piloted B-17 Flying Fortress bombers through mock dogfights staged to train bomber gunners.

Many Japanese women served in the armed forces while their families were in internment camps. Many Japanese and Chinese women were trained as interpreters and translators, and some Filipino American women put their lives on the line as members of the underground resistance in the Philippines.

Bruce Lee (1940-1973): Actor, Martial Arts Expert, and Anti-Racist

Biography of Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee (Lee Hsiao Lung) was born in San Francisco in November 1940 the son of a famous Chinese opera singer. Bruce moved to Hong Kong when he soon became a child star in the growing Eastern film industry. His first film was called The birth of Mankind, his last film which was uncompleted at the time of his death in 1973 was called Game of Death. Bruce was a loner and was constantly getting himself into fights, with this in mind he looked towards Kung Fu as a way of disciplining himself.

At the age of 19 Bruce left Hong Kong to study for a degree in philosophy at the University of Washington in America. It was at this time that he took on a waiter's job and also began to teach some of his skills to students who would pay. Some of the Japanese schools in the Seattle area tried to force Bruce out, and there were many confrontations and duels fought for Bruce to remain.

He met his wife Linda at the University he was studying. His Martial Arts school flourished and he soon graduated. He gained some small roles in Hollywood films - Marlowe- etc, and some major stars were begging to be students of the Little Dragon. James Coburn, Steve McQueen and Lee Marvin to name but a few. He regularly gave displays at exhibitions, and it was during one of these exhibitions that he was spotted by a producer and signed up to do The Green Hornet series. The series was quite successful in the States - but was a huge hit in Hong Kong. Bruce visited Hong Kong in 1968 and he was overwhelmed by the attention he received from the people he had left.

He once said on a radio program if the price was right he would do a movie for the Chinese audiences. He returned to the States and completed some episodes of Longstreet. He began writing his book on Jeet Kune Do at roughly the same time.

Back in Hong Kong producers were desperate to sign Bruce for a Martial Arts film, and it was Raymond Chow the head of Golden Harvest who produced The Big Boss.

On the 10th May 1973, the trouble for Bruce Lee had begun. While dubbing the sound effects for "Enter the Dragon", he passed out for a whole half an hour. He went to the hospital, and was prescribed the drug Manatol. It was used to reduce an apparent brain swelling.

On July 20th 1973, Bruce had arranged to meet Raymond Chow along with actress Betty Ting Pei who would star in "Game of Death". He stopped off at Betty`s house and told her that he had a headache. She gave him an Aquagesic (a painkiller that she regularly used ). Bruce laid down in her bed and went to sleep. During his sleep, the brain swelling returned and triggered an allergy to the painkiller called a cerebral edema.Later Betty tried to wake him but couldn't. Panicking, she called Raymond Chow, who came over and called the doctor. Bruce was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth hospital, barely alive. The ambulance crew was fighting to resuscitate him, but Bruce was pronounced "dead on arrival".

As the news spread across the world, people talked about nothing else, refusing to believe it. Bruce had two funerals, one in Hong Kong and one in the U.S. Over 27,000 people attended his funeral, few could hide their grief. People were just breaking down and crying when they saw him in the open coffin. A banner was placed amongst the many tributes reading "A star sinks in a Sea of Art".

When the press found out that Bruce had died at Betty`s house, they were quick to speculate that Bruce had died while they were having sex. To this day vicious rumours are still spread across the world. At the airport, Linda broke her silence and told Hong Kong to drop it and that she blamed nobody, and that Bruce had died of natural causes. His funeral in Seattle was attended by all his friends, family and former students. James Coburn and Steve McQueen acted as pallbearers. Should you wish to watch the funeral, you can find it on the documentary (Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend). Finally on July 31st, 1973, Bruce was laid to rest in Seattle at the Lake View Cemetary. His and Brandon's graves are regularly visited by people from all over the world. There are ALWAYS fresh flowers on their graves each day. Some day, I too will place mine there and pay my respect to my favourite person in the whole world.

Films of Bruce Lee

(猛龍過江: The Way Of The Dragon, 1972)
(唐山大兄: The Big Boss, 1971)
(龍爭虎鬪: Enter The Dragon, 1973)

(死亡遊戱: The Game Of Death, 1978)
(精武門: Fist Of Fury, 1972)

Racism and Bruce Lee

Few people know of Lee’s tumultuous struggle to overcome racism and bridge the gap between White and Asian Americans.

When asked about “racial barriers,” he told a Hong Kong journalist in 1972 that “I, Bruce Lee, am a man who never follows those fearful formulas. . . . So, no matter if your color is black or white, red or blue, I can still make friends with you without any barrier.”

Lee became one of the first martial arts sifus (masters) to train non-Asians, whites (like Chuck Norris and Roman Polanski) and blacks (like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and all manner of Asians.

Lee’s success in the United States, then, cannot be credited only to the 1960s emergence of Hong Kong, but it must crucially be seen in light of the changed place of Asians in the United States as a result of U.S. immigration policy, the limited gains of the Asian American movement, and, due to the latter, the cheerless acceptance of multiculturalism.

Young Oak Kim: Korean-American Hero of World War II, Korean War

As a Korean-American officer in the 100th Battalion, Young Oak Kim might have seemed out of place. Most of his fellow officers were White, and virtually all of the men he commanded were Japanese-Americans.

But Kim did not see it that way. He saw himself as an American serving alongside other Americans. And he fit in so well and performed so gallantly that he became the most decorated Asian-American soldier in history.

Joining the 100th Battalion

Kim, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, joined the Army in 1941 and started out as an engineer. He was selected to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., and shortly after graduating, was assigned to the 100th Battalion.

Almost immediately after joining the unit in January of 1943, Kim was offered the opportunity to transfer. Korea was under brutal occupation by the Japanese, and Kim's superiors feared he would not mix well in a battalion consisting almost entirely of Japanese-Americans. His assignment had apparently been a mistake.


But the 24-year-old lieutenant insisted on staying, telling Lt. Col. Farrant Turner, the battalion commander, that the soldiers of the 100th were all Americans fighting for a common cause.

Initially a platoon leader, Kim gained a promotion to captain as a well as a positions as battalion operations officer and intelligence officer. He also gained the respect of his men during combat in Italy.

Kim's Daring Mission

Kim would win 19 medals during his military service, including the Distinguished Service Cross. He received his nation's second-highest decoration for a daring volunteer mission on the night of May 16. 1944, in Italy. Kim and five other men crawled into enemy positions to capture a pair of German soldiers. The prisoners gave up information that proved vital to the Allied breakout from the Anzio beachhead.

Earlier, Kim had been awarded a Silver Star for leading an attack that bagged 58 prisoners near Cassino, Italy.

After seeing action in further battles in Italy and France, Kim suffered a serious wound in the hand during a fight for the French town of Biffontaine in October of 1944. While being evacuated, Kim narrowly escaped when his litter train was captured by Germans. He was on leave when the war in Europe ended.

Heroism in Korea


Kim left the army after World War II, but went back into service during the Korean War in 1950, winning a second Silver Star. He led South Korean guerilla groups, served as both an intelligence and operations officer and earned a promotion to major. Ironically, he had never set foot in the nation of his ancestry before the war.

Despite being wounded in a friendly fire incident, Kim went on to lead a battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment of the Seventh Infantry Division, becoming the first ethnic minority to command a regular U.S. Army combat battalion. His unit helped turned the tide of the war and push Communist troops back across the 38th parallel.

Kim remained in the Army until 1972, retiring as a colonel.


Kim the Community Leader

After serving in the Army for 30 years, he retired in 1972. He then actively participated in Asian American community affairs. He helped found the Go For Broke Monument, Go For Broke Educational Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum, the Korean Health, Education, Information and Research Center, the Korean American Coalition, the Korean American Museum, the Korean Youth and Cultural Center, and the Center for Pacific Asian Families.

Kim, who was active in helping war orphans in Korea, continued his charity work after leaving the military. He served with the United Way and several other non-profit organizations, and was a co-founder of the Go For Broke Educational Foundation, a group that educates teachers and student about Japanese-American veterans.


His volunteer work was instrumental in the building of the Go For Broke Monument in Los Angeles. A stone structure dedicated in 1999, the monument honors members of the 100th/442nd as well as Japanese-Americans who served in military intelligence in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.

Kim died of cancer in 2006. A middle school in Los Angeles was renamed Young Oak Kim Academy in his honor in July of 2009.

A middle school named for a Korean-American war hero will be set up in California this year. The Los Angeles Unified School District announced on Tuesday that Young Oak Kim Academy will open in the Koreatown area of the city in September. The late Colonel Kim Young-oak was a highly decorated member of the U.S. Army’s 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team who served in World War II and the Korean War.

Born in Los Angeles, Colonel Kim was a second-generation Korean-American widely remembered for his wartime heroics. He was awarded medals from France, Italy, Korea and the U.S. for courageous and exemplary achievements. Following his discharge from the Army, Kim devoted the rest of his life to charity work, helping war orphans and young people. Dying at the age of 86 in 2006, he is one of the most admired figures in the history of Korean immigration to the U.S.

Young Oak Kim Academy is L.A.’s first middle school and third school overall named for a Korean, after Charles H. Kim Elementary and Mariposa-Nabi Primary Center. Its establishment is due in great part to the efforts of the Friends of Colonel Young Oak Kim, an organization founded in 2006 by a group seeking to commemorate the colonel’s exemplary spirit. After organizing campaigns and sending numerous petitions to the local community and politicians, the organization’s efforts have finally borne fruit.

Kim as Author

Issued by the 100th/442nd/MIS WWII Foundation commemorating the service and sacrifices of the Japanese American soldiers at the unveiling of the Go For Broke Monument in Los Angeles on June 5, 1999.

1943 - Madame Chiang Kai-shek - Chinese Exclusion Act

[ Refer to the picture ] Madame Chiang Kai-shek, the wife of China's leader, delivers an address at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl. During the East Coast leg of her American tour, the American educated Chinese First Lady asks Congress to repeal Chinese Exclusion laws. Her wish is granted.

Soong May-ling also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek was born on March 5, 1897 and was the First Lady of the Republic of China, the wife of former President Chiang Kai-shek. She was a politician and painter. The youngest and the last surviving of the three Soong sisters, she played a prominent role in the politics of the Republic of China.

Born in China and educated in the United States, Soong Mei-ling married Chiang Kai-shek in 1927 and went on to become an internationally famous advocate for her husband's Chinese Nationalist government. Fluent in English and a student of Chinese culture, she was a goodwill ambassador and the popular partner of Generalissimo Chiang during the 1930s. During World War II she went on an international tour and spoke before the United States congress (1943) to drum up support for China's fight against Japan. Articulate and charismatic, her celebrity status was considered a key element in winning funds and weapons from the Allies (including airplanes - Madame Chiang was key player in the Chinese air force).

The Chinese Exclusion Act was a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1882 in response to nativist hatred of Chinese immigrants. It prevented the large scale immigration of Chinese workers into the U.S. although tens of thousands came in illegally. Restriction was repealed in 1943 and amnesty was provided for the thousands of illegal Chinese immigrants in the 1950s.

The laws were repealed in 1943, during World War II, as the U.S. and China were allies fighting the Japanese. President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that making China an "equal" ally in every way would be important to preserve postwar stability. Public opinion in favor of the Chinese was mobilized by the nationwide speaking tours of Madame Chiang Kai-shek, the American educated wife of the Chinese leader, and by publicity in Time and Life magazines.

In the United States, she drew crowds as large as 30,000 people and made the cover of TIME magazine (she had first appeared in 1937 with her husband as "Man and Wife of the Year)" On February 18, 1943, she became the first Chinese national and second woman to address both houses of the U.S. Congress

As a fluent English speaker, as a Christian, as a model of what many Americans hoped China to become, Madame Chiang struck a chord with American audiences as she traveled across the country, starting in 1930s, raising money and lobbying for support of her husband's government. She seemed to many Americans to be the very symbol of the modern, educated, pro-American China they yearned to see emerge, even as many Chinese dismissed her as a corrupt, power-hungry symbol of the past they wanted to escape.

1942 Frank Fong - ONE OF THE FIRST CHINESE AMERICAN FIGHTER PILOTS

Frank Fong, a natural born American citizen, volunteered in World War II to join the Army and was denied the right to join the Army, because of his race. He was unsuccessful getting local help to join up, and had to write General Hap Arnold for assistance. After reviewing Fong’s application, the General appointed Fong as a pilot candidate.

Due to a pilot shortage, Frank Fong was assigned to non-combat flying status and flew reconnaissance missions in support of the D-Day Normandy invasion. In a follow-up flying assignment, Lt Col Fong commanded the Fifth Emergency Rescue Squadron which rescued many US and Allied aircrews downed in the North Sea. In 2001 the English military honored Colonel Fong and his squadron for their heroic rescue missions during WW II. He was recalled to active duty during the Korean War and also the Vietnam War.

Fong suffered racial discrimination and was denied entry when he voluntarily applied to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). With determination and persistence, he was finally accepted by the USAAF. This opened the door for other Chinese Americans later to serve in the United States military services.

It took 48 years for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to concede that a plane crash scarred his left eye and eventually took his sight. It took two more years for the VA to agree that Fong is seriously disabled by nightmares and flashbacks of violent air combat missions. And nearly three years to fully compensate him for his blind eye and for a back injury from the plane crash, VA records show.

Fong's battle with the VA isn't over. He's still seeking back pay for the years 1950-1997, when the VA refused to acknowledge his blindness. This 54-year ordeal illustrates how technicalities in the VA's disability compensation system shortchange those who lack well-trained advocates and the persistence to keep fighting for years.

Lt. Colonel Fong's contributions have made life better not only for Asian Americans in Miami-Dade County but all Americans in the United States and all people in the world.In November 2000, Lt. Colonel Fong was among eleven other Chinese American WWIIveterans who were honored and recognized by Miami-Dade County Mayor Penelas during the premiere screening of the documentary film, We Served with Pride: The Chinese American Experience in WWII. The screening was organized by the Organization of Chinese Americans - South Florida Chapter.

Fong went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Over his illustrious career, Fong received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, eight Air Medals, a Purple Heart, a European Theater Ribbon with four Bronze Stars, American Theater Ribbon of Merit, Korean Medal, Intelligence Medallion, Senior Pilot Wing, Expert Medal and many other honors..

1941 - Pearl Harbor & Anti-Japanese Propaganda in Popular Culture

Ga Rab Yoon

On a quiet Sunday morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese aircrafts flew over Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, a naval base of the United States. Soon, bombs dropped and the United States realized that Japan has attacked them. This surprise attack Japan conducted with about 353 aircrafts successfully inflicted some damage on the United States Navy; it was a part of Japan’s ambitious imperialist plans to control the pacific and Asia. However, it also led to the United State’s military involvement in the World War II, and also triggered the beginning of a nation-wide Anti-Asian sentiment—especially directed towards Japanese Americans who were living in the US.

Americans were shocked by the surprise attack. The shock however, soon turned into anger. Then, this anger was effectively redirected to Japanese Americans who had nothing to do with the attack, by propagandists. Japanese Americans had to endure unjust treatment from the government and also hatred from fellow Americans, which was often caused and amplified by American anti-Japanese propaganda that were employed in various forms of popular culture.

One form of propaganda was flyers that were made and distributed to people. “Jap hunting” was a popular term used at the time to express hatred of Japanese Americans, and fake licenses called “Jap Hunting License” also appeared, which urged people to put their hatred into action by hunting down Japanese Americans.

Posters were also used by anti-Japanese propagandists. In the posters, Japanese Americans were depicted as animal-like, and sub-human entities, or their facial features were exaggerated in order to insult them. A famous example of anti-Japanese propaganda posters is the Tokio Kid posters. These posters contained a villainous Japanese character with a treacherous grin on his face, expressing his happiness at things such as American workers wasting resources and slacking off.

Films, or movies were also used for propaganda by the government. Attack on Pearl Harbor also resulted in Japanese American internment, which was authorized by Executive Order 9066, signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. Executive order 9066 was to “exclude” any person from a military area, but it was primarily used against Americans of Japanese descent under the suspicion that they can be related to the wartime enemy. They were moved to certain locations called “War Relocation camps,” where they were locked up. About 70,000 Japanese Americans and 40,000 Japanese immigrants were interned in 1942. In order to legitimize internment, and for the ease of executing the process, movies such as Japanese relocation (1943), and A challenge to democracy (1944) were produced. In the films, Japanese Americans were labeled "potentially dangerous," and internment camps were portrayed as a positive place where safety, health, and opportunities were guaranteed. Even though they were films produced for the sake of Japanese Americans on the surface, it was obviously nothing more than a hypocritical anti-Japanese propaganda film which actually argued for sending off and isolating the "Japs."

"Some among [Japanese Americans] were Potentially dangerous..." (Japanese Relocation)

The release of the movie Pearl Harbor in 2001 caused many Japanese Americans to fear another outbreak of anti-Japanese sentiment because the movie was about the Pearl Harbor bombing, which was basically the starting point of anti-Japanese sentiment. Since the movie's content was very “patriotic” in nature, their fear was understandable. Personally, I saw the movie too, when it was released in the past. Fortunately, I don't remember Japanese people being portrayed like the Tokio Kid in the movie, nor did I see any occurrence of hate crimes against Japanese Americans that after the release. However, the fact that they're still afraid of a backlash after more than 50 years from the internment clearly shows how false propaganda and unjust government actions can leave such deep mental scars in the hearts and minds of people.