Volume XI, Number 2 Spring 1999

Coram Nobis: The Error Before Us and Coram Nobis Timeline
by Kenji Murase, PhD

It Was Bigger Than All of Us: Behind the Scenes with the Coram Nobis Teams
by Shizue Seigel

The Meaning of Community:
The Issei Farmers of Wapato, Washington
by Isao Fujimoto

The Roots of My Struggle for Peace and Justice
by Rev. S. Michael Yasutake

The Asian Law Caucus and the "New Issei"
by Gen Fujioka

Victim of the Alien Land Law: the San Francisco YWCA Case
by Robert Rusky

Letters to the Editorial Board

The Coram Nobis Team Today

NJAHS Events and programs
Coram Nobis Tribute dinner

New Members and Donations

Two articles in this issue are devoted to the historic Coram Nobis court cases. Kenji Murase contributes "Coram Nobis: The Error Before Us," a summary of the legal issues and a detailed timeline. "It Was Bigger Than All of Us: the Coram Nobis Teams" describes the teamwork and personal sacrifice required to challenge the Supreme Court decisions. Several dozen lawyers and researchers donated hundreds of hours over a five-year period. More than a dozen were interviewed for this issue. Themes that still seem very much alive for all of them are: a passion for social justice and public education, a feeling of closeness and cooperation which exemplifies the true meaning of community, and a heart-felt connection with all Japanese Americans past, present and future. Karen Kai, one of the lawyers, says, "I’ve come to realize that when it comes to a matter of principle – an issue that’s important to them – the quiet Japanese American people you see at meetings are very strong. They do not back down and they do not give up."

An abiding sense of interconnection, gratitude, responsibility and perseverance distinguishes the Nikkei traditions of activism. Individuals see themselves as part of a greater whole, and do not rest so long as any among us suffers. In related articles, Isao Fujimoto recalls the Issei roots of these values in a story about pre-war community and cooperation in a Washington farm community. Rev. Michael Yoshitake writes about the experiences that led one young Nisei to pick up the torch and shine its light beyond the Nikkei community. Sansei Gen Fujioka writes about the continuing activism of the Asian Law Caucus, and Robert Rusky discusses the continuing legal battle over the YWCA Building in San Francisco’s Japantown, which was founded by Issei and is still used by Yonsei and Gosei.

"Injustice affects all of us, not just the targeted group," says Karen Kai. "Everyone has the responsibility to be vigilant. Otherwise, in a time of crisis it’s easy to justify an infringement of human rights because the groundwork of prejudicial assumptions gets laid slowly in tiny increments. This is our community legacy – what we can pass on to others." This is our true Nikkei heritage. We hope this issue inspires you as much as it has inspired us to produce it.