Dr. Henry “Hank” Oyama

Memorial services for Dr. Henry “Hank” Oyama were held today at St. Augustine’s Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave, with hundreds of people from the Tucson community in attendance. Dr. Oyama was 86 years old and passed away on March 20. He was born and raised here in Tucson, and at age 15 was innocently interned along with 120,000 other Japanese Americans in relocation camps in the western United States. Hank was sent to such a camp north of here in Poston, Arizona with his mother and sister. He was drafted into the U.S. Army after spending 15 months in that internment camp, and later enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, from which he retired as Lt. Colonel.

After returning to Tucson he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Arizona in education, and taught at Pueblo High School for 18 years. Following that he was hired at Pima Community College as director of bilingual and international studies, later became Associate Dean of that program, and eventually retired from PCC in 1991 as Vice President Emeritus. He was bilingual in Spanish and was well know for his advocacy for Hispanic students in Tucson, and established the Hispanic Student Endowment Fund. In 2003 an elementary school in Tucson was named after him at 2700 S. La Cholla Blvd.

Today’s service started off with a welcome by Bishop Gerald Kicanas, who said that Hank was “proud of his roots” and “rejoiced in them here in Tucson.” He also said that Hank “taught by example.” Father Gonzalo Villegas said that Hank exemplified Pope Paul VI’s statement “If you want peace, work for justice.” Particularly touching were when “Amazing Grace” and “Ave Maria” were sung.

Beautiful eulogy delivered today by Ward 5 Councilman Richard Fimbres (also a pallbearer), who spoke of Hank as a “man of integrity, a role model for all”, and listed the many awards/honors that Hank received over his lifetime including Pan Asian Man of the Year in 2005. Hank’s only surviving daughter Mary Catherine Tate spoke of her dad as the person she “learned tenacity from” and that “love is a choice.” Hank was survived by his 2nd wife Laura Ann Toledo Oyama, four children, five stepchildren, fourteen grandchildren, six great grandchildren.

Attending today’s service were many notables:

Ruben Reyes for CD 3 Congressman Raul Grijalva
Former State Senator Victor Soltero
LD 3 State Rep. Macario Saldate (pallbearer)
Pima County District 4 Supervisor Ray Carroll, District 5 Supervisor Richard Elias
Tucson City Councilmembers Richard Fimbres, Karin Uhlich, Regina Romero, former Councilman Steve Leal
TUSD governing board members Adelita Grijalva, Mark Stegeman, Kristel Foster, Cam Juarez
Sunnyside board member Eva Dong Carrillo
former TUSD Superintendents Roger Pfeuffer, Stan Paz

In 1959 he and his Caucasian college sweetheart Mary Ann Jordan challenged Arizona’s anti-miscegenation law which prohibited a Caucasian person from marrying someone Asian American. The actual statute stated: “The marriage of a person of Caucasian blood with a Negro, Mongolian, Malay or Hindu is null and void.” Hank and Mary Ann became plaintiffs in the ACLU of Arizona’s first case, to challenge this law, which was stuck down by Pima County Superior Court Judge Herbert Krucker, but then appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court. Before that court could rule, the Arizona legislature repealed that law, so Hank and Mary Ann’s case was dismissed as moot.

I (an ACLU state board member for five years) attended the ACLU of Arizona’s 50th anniversary dinner on March 20, 2009 where the attorneys for that case were honored, as well as Hank. His wife Mary Ann had passed on by then, but Hank said that she should have been there that night, because she had a harder time with the verbal abuse she endured by being a white person married to a non-white person back then. For Hank and Mary Ann, love was indeed a choice, and they had to fight to remain together and get married.

He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Arizona for this civil rights challenge.

More about Hank in

Arizona Daily Star: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/tucson-education-civil-rights-advocate-hank-oyama-dies/article_fa0197ee-9185-11e2-b1b5-0019bb2963f4.html

Rum Romanism Rebellion (by former State Rep. Tom Prezelski): http://www.rumromanismrebellion.net/2013/03/21/dr-henry-hank-oyama-1926-2013/

Rest in peace civil libertarian and “father of bilingual education” Henry “Hank” Oyama.

What does Christmas mean to you?

It’s supposed to be a special time for Christians (Catholic and Protestant) to celebrate and rejoice in the birth of Jesus Christ. But it can be so much more, in spreading the message of love, faith, & hope throughout your community and the world.

Last night at the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral, Bishop Gerald Kicanas preached that “we are all precious children of God”. He also said we need to “create a world of peace.”

Many non-Christians (like my birth family of Jodo-shu Buddhists in Hawaii) celebrated Christmas as a family tradition and secular holiday from school/work. I’m sure that can be said of other religious families & communities as well.

Now to be politically correct, American communities may also celebrate the 8 days of Hanukkah (Jewish Americans), Kwanzaa (Black Americans) from Dec. 26 to January 1, sometimes Bodhi Day (December 8 for Buddhists commemorating the birthday of Lord Buddha), and even Diwali (Hindu Festival of Lights) till mid-December.

However you celebrate these holidays, even if its just to get together & exchange gifts and fellowship, please reflect upon what faith means to you spiritually, and to spread love (and the “aloha spirit”) to your family, friends & neighbors.

And Merry Christmas to all today. Mele Kalikimaka in Hawaiian (click here for last year’s blog on the 12 days of Christmas – Hawaiian style).

For every year’s anniversary of 9/11/01 the Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance has held a memorial service to reflect upon the national tragedy of that fateful day. Tonight the 10th memorial service was held at St. Augustine’s Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Avenue in downtown Tucson.

Here’s tonight’s program with some of my notes of the reflections/prayers:

Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon & Rabbi Jason Holtz, Temple Emanu-El – sounding of the Shofar (ram’s horn)

Davis-Monthan Color Guard (presentation of Colors)

Patricia Flores, Yoeme/Maya Nation: Ome Malintzna (Sacred Fire Woman, Mexica) – Yoeme Blessing

Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas, Catholic Bishop of Tucson – welcome

Reverend Raven Gaston, Catalina United Methodist Church – “Moses & the Shepherd”, from the writings of Rumi (13th-century mystic)

Reverend Allen Breckenridge, St. Mathew’s Episcopal Church, & Reverend Tom Dunham, Streams of the Desert Lutheran Church (choir) – “God We’ve Known Such Grief & Anger”

Huseyin Salim Sen, Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue – recitation of Qu’ran

Reverend Lee Milligan, Casas Adobes United Church of Christ – Prayer (“for all, to all, help us to remember”)

City of Tucson Councilmember Shirley Scott (ward 4) – reflection (“We are a country of kindness, strength, courage & resolve”)

Renu Phull, Tucson Sikh Sangat – Poem “One” by Dr. Cheryl Sawyer (“We are one color, one class, one generation, one gender, one faith, one language, one body, one family, one soul, one people, We are the Power of One, We are united, We are America”.)

Tucson Sikh Sangat – “Kirtan” (Sacred Music of the Sikhs), “Too Thakur Tum Peh Ardas” from Sukhmani Sahib, “The Lagoon of Peace” by Guru Arjan (16th Century)

Chair Ramon Valadez, Pima County Board of Supervisors (District 2) – reflection (“despite grief & pain, celebrate courage, compassion, humanity, caring & sharing, & faith”)

Reverend Kate Bradsen, Vicar, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church – prayer (“thanksgiving for diversity”)

Reverend Elwood McDowell, Trinity Missionary Baptist Church – reflection (“love & hope, love your enemies”)

Nicole Best, Baha’i Community – Baha’i prayer (“unity in diversity, religion is One, friendliness, fellowship”)

Supervisor Ray Carroll, Pima County Board of Supervisors (District 4) – reflection (“for those who sacrificed their lives, a call to sainthood, and also to honor those six who died on 1/8/11″.)

Pam Simon, Community Outreach Coordinator for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords – reflection (on the “similarities of 9/11/01 and 1/8/11 when the community came together, to make a better & more peaceful world”.) She was shot twice on 1/8/11 & recovered.

Streams of the Desert Lutheran Church Joy Choir – “In Memoriam” by Susan Naus Dengler and Lee Dengler

The Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas – memorial words (“think of what united us, not divided us, and the need to act now, to see where love is needed, to build peace, fight prejudice, help those in suffering.”)

“America the Beautiful” – music by Bill Kusack led by Sister Lois Paha

Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon – Closing benediction & Birkat Kohanim (priestly blessing – “let us be the next responders”)

Davis-Monthan Color Guard – retiring of the Colors

The Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance is a “multi-faith group dedicated to building mutual understanding and community across the boundary lines of religion, race, creed, orientation & ability. Its members commit themselves to an ongoing dialogue, and resolve to learn, teach, pray, and act together to bring an open religious & spiritual dimension to public life in Tucson.” For more info, contact Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa at 520-490-1165.

This memorial service tonight was in memory of the 2977 people who gave their lives on 9/11/01, 248 who were passengers on the four American Airlines or United Airlines planes, the others who died at the World Trade Center or at the Pentagon. I’ve attended probably every one of these memorial services and have been pleased to see these leaders from different religions (Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Baha’is, etc.) and political leaders all come together in common prayer & reflection upon such a tragedy.

Together we remember 9/11.