A Reflection and Chronology on the Formation of CWJC
Eric Mar

​"Comfort Women" History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide
"Comfort Women" History and Issues: Student Resource Guide

​ A Reflection and Chronology on the Formation of the 'Comfort Women' Justice Coalition (CWJC) 
Eric Mar, former San Francisco City Supervisor, Emeritus professor, Asian American Studies, San Francisco State University 
 
I wrote this chronology based on my office’s files, staff notes, calendars, and correspondence from 2010–2017. For more information about the work of the CWJC, see their website: www.remembercomfortwomen.org.
 
1970s: San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar’s grandmother tells him and his family stories about the Japanese Imperial Army’s atrocities in Nanjing and throughout China in the Pacific War/WWII.
 
2010:
December— Mar views the powerful and moving film “Nanjing City of Life and Death: Nanjing! Nanjing!” (Lu Chuan 2009) at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Asian/Asian American Film Festival.
 
2011:
December—Mar speaks and listens at the anniversary of Nanjing Massacre observed by the Chinese American Rape of Nanjing Redress Coalition (RNRC) and begins a dialogue with community leaders like Judges Julie Tang and Lillian Sing, Professor Jean Bee Chan and others. The RNRC is a charter organization of Global Alliance (GA).
 
2012:
Spring—Mar and RNRC leaders visit San Francisco’s Lincoln Park and discuss potential sites in Golden Gate Park. Eric Mar takes photos of sites and prepares for May 26 meeting with the RNRC.
 
May 21—Julie Tang of RNRC invites Mar to their May 26 meeting to discuss a memorial. Mar raises potential spots like Portsmouth Square, the Chinese Pavilion at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park, and near the new War Memorial building courtyard fountain now named after George and Charlotte Shultz. Ignatius Ding from RNRC suggests expanding the memorial beyond just Chinese victims, saying: “This proposed plaque in memory of the hundreds of thousands of those victimized by the Japanese wartime sexual slavery system will be not only for the more than 200,000 Chinese victims, but also for many others from Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, a number of countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific as well as Australia and New Zealand.”
 
May 26—RNRC meeting at the Richmond Police Station. This is the first discussion of a memorial focusing on Chinese victims of the Nanjing Massacre. We discuss locations in San Francisco’s Richmond District like Lincoln Park near the Holocaust Memorial and the Legion of Honor Museum. Mar convenes meetings with Dennis (Denny) Kern, Chief of Operations, SF Recreation and Parks Department.
 
Some in the RNRC feel Chinatown would be too Chinese focused and urge Golden Gate Park and near the War Memorial in the Civic Center Area of San Francisco.
 
June 4—Julie Tang suggests that the RNRC is moving towards a more inclusive and Pan-Asian memorial, saying:
“We are still discussing whether we should adopt just the ‘comfort woman’ as the only inscription on the stone or include the other atrocities such as Rape of Nanjing, Unit 731 germ warfare, slave labor and POWs. I think the group is leaning towards adopting a remembrance of all the victims but with the issue of ‘comfort woman’ in the forefront.”
 
July—Mar begins discussions in his weekly meetings with Mayor Ed Lee and San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsberg.
 
December—75th anniversary, Nanjing Ji, was held at the Chinese Culture Center Auditorium. Momentum grows and the remembrance; features a new piece by composer Bright Sheng and remarks from Iris Chang’s family. Jean Bee Chan is chair and active in a memorial at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, CA.
 
2013:
May 13—Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto states that the system of sex slavery imposed by the Japanese military in Asia during WWII was “necessary” to provide relief to soldiers.
 
May 23—Mar, the RNRC and Julie Soo of the Commission on the Status of Women hold a press conference blasting Mayor Hashimoto’s comments and proposed meetings at San Francisco’s City Hall. We urge Mayor Lee to refuse meetings with Hashimoto.
 
Hashimoto visits San Francisco, its “sister-city,” and attempts to meet with Mayor Ed Lee who refuses.
University of California, Berkley Professor Ling-Chi Wang and RNRC draft language for an opposition resolution with Jane Kim, Eric Mar, and other members of the SF Board of Supervisors
 
July—Glendale in Southern California erects a memorial with strong Korean American community support and allies from NCRR (Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress).
 
September 14—GA, RNRC, and the Alliance for Preserving the Truth of Sino-Japanese War (APTSJW) co-sponsor a memorial rock bench and bricks dedication ceremony along with Sonoma State University at the Holocaust and Genocide Memorial Grove on the main SSU campus in Rohnert Park, CA to honor victims of the Pacific War. 
 
2014:
Mar and leaders of the RNRC visit sites at Golden Gate Park, the War Memorial in the Civic Center, Yerba Buena Gardens, and Chinatown as potential memorial locations.
 
November—December—Mar and his aide Victor Lim begin meeting and planning with RNRC leaders Julie Tang, Lillian Sing, Ling-Chi Wang, and Peter Chi.  The RNRC intensifies their expansion of supporters and their fundraising in preparation for the meeting.
 
December—Mar speaks at Nanjing Ji, urging support for a memorial and plans a meeting with Mayor Lee on January 5th.
Mar meets with community leaders like Chinatown Chamber of Commerce’s Rose Pak, San Francisco Recreation and Park Director Phil Ginsberg, and others.
 
2015:
January 5—During Mar’s regular meeting with Mayor Ed Lee, he invites RNRC co-chair Julie Tang and Professor Ling-Chi Wang to discuss RNRC and allies’ progress on building a memorial and urge his support. The Mayor does not commit to anything, but he offers suggestions to build a broader base of support, such as reaching out to faith-based communities and other groups.
 
January—Mar begins regular check in meetings with Kenji Taguma, editor in chief of the Nichibei Weekly and supporter of the RNRC on strategy with the Japanese American Community. Taguma’s background on the issue goes back to the 1990s when he had a private tour of the Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing, China. Later, he spoke at the Forgotten Holocaust exhibit on San Francisco’s Treasure Island in 1998 where he connected with Lillian Sing and others.
 
February—spring—resolution drafts are created.
 
With input from the 150 organizations, Mar gets further input from San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi and San Francisco Board of Education Vice President Emily Murase who immediately objects and sends the draft resolution language to opponents.
 
Mar assigns three policy interns: Angela Yip/UCLA Asian American Studies; Anika Steig and Lindsay Kimpell who assist legislative aide Victor Lim in coordinating meetings, editing, and coordination with CWJC. Legislative aide Raquel Redondiez begins building support from Filipino and women’s organizations.
 
May 16—Ling-Chi Wang drafts language for a resolution. Mar begins gathering more input, editing, and fact checking the language with his staff and policy interns.
 
June 28—RNRC coalition strategy meeting: Mar agrees to take the lead on the memorial strategy at City Hall with Jane Kim and Norman Yee as key co-sponsors. Mar and staff continue editing the resolution draft submitted by Ling-Chi Wang.
 
July—Mar and Kenji Taguma brainstorm on engaging Japanese American leaders to build support for memorial. RNRC and Mar initially line up eight sponsors eleven supervisors plus get input and support from Japanese American community allies. Some of the agreed sponsors get nervous as they are lobbied by denialisms, a handful of lobbyists, and Japanese American leaders.
 
Mar and others expand their efforts and build a Pan-Asian women-led coalition with direct involvement from Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and Filipino Americans. Miho Kim Lee, Emi Koyama, journalist Christine Ahn, Jinee Kim Rebouh, Marily Mondejar/Filipina Women’s Network, Rachel Redondiez, Gabriela Women’s Party, and others help expand the network. Mar also reaches out to groups such as Asian Americans for Peace and Justice as well as university scholars, like San Francisco State University Professor Grace Yoo. Mar, a former member of NCRR (National Coalition for Redress/Reparations) contacts Southern California leaders like Kathy Masaoka and David Monkawa, plus local leaders like Peter Yamamoto, Yumi Hatta, Grace Shimizu, and John Ota.
 
July 12—RNRC strategizes for the Board of Supervisors’ introduction of the resolution and the July 21 board hearing and reviews the revised draft resolution.
 
July 14—At the Board of Supervisors meeting Mar introduces Justice for Comfort Women Resolution with the tactical goal of voting on it on July 28, the last board meeting before the August legislative break. But the Board President London Breed must agree to allow the vote.
July 20—Congressman Mike Honda sends a letter of support for the resolution to board members.
 
July 21—Board of Supervisors Public Hearing: the coalition brings out a wide diversity of speakers. A Japanese ultra-nationalist group delivers a book called “Comfort Women” NOT “Sex Slaves” by Koichi Mera, a copy of a 1944 report Japanese prisoners of war interrogation on prostitution, and other propaganda against the resolution. The resolution is sent to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, which Mar chairs.
 
Opposition letters from right wing denialists flood the board members’ mailboxes, a handful of Japanese American community gatekeepers lobby Board President London Breed and others.
 
Board President Breed who represents Japantown objects to the scheduled vote and several co-sponsors such as Norman Yee and Jane Kim also raise concerns.
RNRC and allies tactically decide to postpone the vote until September after the August legislative break. This gives time to really build and strengthen our growing coalition.
 
 
Mar and staff take a short Legislative break in August but the Coalition keeps building and developing.
 
August 19—Supporters Pete Yamamoto and Grace Shimizu report on the J-Town Task Force meeting and concerns within Japanese American community leaders.
 
Judge Lillian Sing announces retirement from the bench, joining Julie Tang who also retired from the bench to commit their work to enacting the memorial.
 
Miho Kim Lee, Grace Shimizu, Judith Mirkinson and others begin assisting in the forming of a united coalition involving Korean American, Filipino American and Japanese American supporters.
 
Feminist Network for Decolonization (FEND) and Eclipse Rising coordinate a strategy meeting about the rise of ultra-nationalists.
 
August 22—Asian Americans for Peace and Justice (formerly the Watada Support Committee/APIR) meets for 4 hours to strategize building the coalition. Leaders Stephanie Miyashiro, Ying Lee, Grace Shimizu, Grace Morizawa, Betty Kano, and Michael Wong all pledge support.
 
August 26—Coalition meeting with Japanese American leaders at City Hall Room 278: Judy Hamaguchi (Japanese American Citizens League), Miho Kim Lee (Japan Multicultural Relief Fund, Eclipse Rising), Peter Yamamoto (poet and National Japanese American Historical Society), Yumi Hatta (former National Coalition for Redress/Reparations), Kenji Taguma and Tomo Hirai (Nichibei Weekly), Alice Kawahatsu (Japanese American Religious Federation), Rev. Masato Kawahatsu (Konko Church), Emi Koyama (Japan-US Feminist Network for Decolonization), and Mar’s staff Victor Lim and public policy fellow Lindsey Kimpel. Miho and Emi did a training on understanding the rise of Japanese ultra-nationalists and their efforts to influence Japanese American communities locally.
 
September 3—9— With Eric Mar’s support, RNRC and allies form the new “Comfort Women” Justice Coalition and develop a more democratic decision-making structure. Miho Kim Lee, Judith Mirkinson, Grace Shimizu, Mike Wong and others contribute along with RNRC leadership and Judges Sing and Tang.
 
September Board of Supervisors Votes -
Mar and CWJC introduce a few minor amendments including a few lines on the WWII mass incarceration of Japanese Americans and their generations of community resistance to their oppression.
 
Supervisor Wiener and Yee offer amendment language drafted by opponents that deletes mention of the Japanese military and government and implies many other governments are guilty of similar atrocities. Jane Kim begins questioning Chinatown as the location of the site.
 
But the coalition has a secret weapon. 87-year-old Halmoni[1] Yong-Soo Lee, who flew into San Francisco from Seoul, Korea. She is one of less than forty seven survivors struggling to tell their story to the world. The Korean American community raises funds to bring Halmoni Lee to San Francisco.
 
Sept 15—At the full board meeting Mar uses the beginning of the board meeting to honor Halmoni Lee as an example of living history and commends her struggle and demanding justice for “comfort women”. Her eloquent speech powerfully moves the board, the audience, and many viewing the televised broadcast. The coalition uses this opportunity to build more public awareness and to build pressure on the swing votes on the board.
 
“I am living evidence to history.”
“I hate the crimes committed by Japan, but I don’t hate the Japanese people.”
“For the sake of our next generation...we need to teach accurate history. I want to tell you, the truth will come out no matter what!”
—Yong-Soo Lee
 
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Commissioner Julie Soo with the help of Commissioner Marily Mondejar and others mobilize the Commission on the Status of Women meeting to challenge Executive Director and school board member Emily Murase efforts to block the commission consideration of the supervisors’ resolution.
 
 
September 17—A huge press conference with CWJC leaders and Halmoni Lee, who speak powerfully  before the Board Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. Speakers line up for four hours of testimony. Many denialists from Southern California and a handful of opponents speak and go head to head with dozens of CWJC allies and supporters in the Board meeting room.  Though Japanese denialists call Halmoni Lee a liar, she defends herself. Judges Sing & Tang and Nancy Lee of RNRC and Korean American Forum’s Phyllis Kim and Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association President Sung Ma (also a leader of the Mar Family Association) defend Halmoni Lee. Committee Co-Chair David Campos speaks out strongly against the denialists. The three member committee unanimously supports the resolution.
 
September 21—At 8pm, after days of the CWJC meeting with other supervisors or their staff, Mar secures Katy Tang’s vote before his September 22 meeting with Scott Weiner, the main supervisor trying to water down the resolution with language proposed by the opposition. Eric Mar, Kenji Taguma, Miho Kim Lee, and others finalize the language changes via email with other CWJC leaders.
 
Adding to the strong coverage from the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese American press, and alternative media sources, the CWJC gets mainstream TV, radio and print coverage. The San Francisco Chronicle does an exclusive front page, above-the-fold story, with photos of Halmoni Yong-Soo Lee.
 
September 22—The vote of the Full Board. Mar and allies prevent “watering down” language and with the support of the CWJC, Mar adds updated language on human trafficking today and the U.S. wartime mass incarceration of Japanese Americans. He also allows a minor amendment from supervisors Yee and Wiener adding the line, “while it does not in any way excuse the actions of the Japanese Imperial Army, there are other women that have been victimized by other countries.” The CWJC accepts the mild language changes.
 
To the cheers of the CWJC and allies the board votes unanimously in favor of the CWJC backed language.
 
2016:
January 6 - Conflicts arise within communities as the Japanese Consulate reports receiving a mysterious package in the mail addressed from the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC), a community organization, with a derogatory message which was written on paper which was wrapped around feces. A Japanese American business PLM (Pacific Leisure Management) that does overseas business with Japan was also sent an anonymous package with white powder inside that turned out to be flour.
 
February—March—Site negotiations continue.
Mar meets with Rec & Park Commissioner and land use attorney Allan Low, Rec Park staffer Alex Randolph, General Manager Phil Ginsberg, and Director of Operations Dennis Kern.
 
Low suggests the St. Mary’s Square extension. Judges Sing and Tang are not initially supportive, but others point out the positive aspects of the site. Later, Mayor Lee supports the site even though the Chinese Culture Center had led a long selection process for community art at the site with the developer of 500 Pine Street Company, LLC.  As part of the development’s approval, the developer entered into an agreement with the nonprofit Chinese Cultural Center to select the artwork with community input for St. Mary’s Square extension.
 
Mar helps with CWJC communications with SF Cultural Affairs Director Tom Decaigny and SF Arts Commission staff and Commissioners; between Mabel Teng and the CCC staff and Judges Sing and Tang.  Reverend Norman Fong of Chinatown Community Development Center and others also help mediate the conflicts.
 
March 28—CWJC holds a Chinatown Banquet at Cathay House across from St. Mary’s Church and near St. Mary’s Square to raise funds for the memorial. Peter Chi of the Chinese American Chamber of Commerce leads the fundraising effort. Many Chinese American organizations and leaders are present such as Self Help for the Elderly, Richmond Area Multi-Services, Chinatown Community Children’s Center, Chinese for Affirmative Action and Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. The Korean American community mobilizes as well. Mr. Seung Ku Kang and others fill at least two tables at the event. As of April 7, CWJC has raised $350,000 for the memorial. Funds are pledged from South Bay organizations and Korean American groups.
 
March 29—Tour of St. Mary’s Square Park for CWJC and supporters. Also present are Leo Choy and consultant Jocelyn Zanzot who was hired to create the artist selection process, and to work with the artist and city staff to implement the memorial.
 
Mar and Staff convene regular monthly meetings convening the newly formed CWJC representatives and Department heads and Arts Commission and Recreation and Parks staff.
 
Mar has numerous meetings and phone conversations with developer and land use attorneys to mediate conflicts with Mabel Teng and the Chinese Culture Center who advocate for their own art by Sarah Sze.
 
April 8—Mar meets with District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin and legislative aide Connie Chan to support the memorial placement in St. Mary’s Park extension.
 
July 21—San Francisco Arts Commission staff issue RFP [request for proposals] for artists to propose designs for the memorial, with a deadline of October 14.
 
October 15—Chinatown Branch Library holds a public exhibit of the submitted designs. Feedback from community members is given to the design team and CWJC leaders.
 
October 16—Memorial top three finalists are selected by a committee that includes longtime community leader Henry Der and architect Jeffrey Heller.
 
November 16—San Francisco Arts Commission holds a Visual Arts Committee hearing. Conflicts are raised with the Chinese Culture Center and supporters of world-renowned artist Sarah Sze who backed out of having her art in the same plaza as the CWJC memorial. Eric Mar supports inclusion of both art pieces, and both are approved for the site.
Eventually, the Chinese Culture Center relents, allowing the CWJC art to be the sole piece in the St. Mary’s Park Extension area. But the funds from the developer are held in an art account by the Arts Commission to support future community art in the Chinatown community.
 
November 18—Finalist proposals are due.
 
November 28—A public exhibit at several sites showcases the finalist’s submissions, including Supervisor Mar’s office at San Francisco City Hall.
 
December 5—Final Selection of memorial Ddsign is awarded to Steven Whyte’s Women’s Column of Strength.
 
December 9—Final proposal submitted to the San Francisco Arts Commission for consideration.
 
December—Despite a coordinated flood of protest letters sent to the San Francisco Arts commissioners and staff, the CWJC executive committee works hard on crafting strong and acceptable language for the memorial inscription. Professor Ling-Chi Wang does the initial draft. CWJC leaders like Grace Shimizu gather input from Japanese American leaders, utilize the wise assistance of Japantown community leaders Yumi (Julie) Hatta, Robert Rusky and Karen Kai.
Mar works closely with San Francisco Director of Cultural Affairs Tom De Caigny and his staff to ensure strong communication from the CWJC leaders on design and the language of the inscription.

December 21—San Francisco Arts Commission Visual Arts Committee considers the Steven Whyte Women’s Column of Strength design of the memorial. Despite some opposition, CWJC co-chairs Julie Tang and Lillian Sing successfully present and win approval. But the inscription language approval is held off until the January meeting.

December 2016—January 2017—the SF Arts Commission votes to approve both the CWJC art and the CCC art for the site. But the CCC is not able to produce an acceptable proposal to the Art Commission for approval and the CWJC moves forward as the sole piece of art on the site.
———--
Professor Eric Mar’s remarks on September 22, 2017 at San Francisco Justice for “Comfort Women" Day
 
My heart is heavy, but also bursting with joy. Halmoni “Grandma” Yong-Soo Lee, Congressman Mike Honda, Sculptor Steven Whyte, CWJC leaders, friends and allies:
 
Unveiling our San Francisco memorial today we are first in a major U.S. city dedicated to the historic struggle for justice for “comfort women”
 
Let this addition to the other global memorials help spark more movements for social justice, and education, understanding, struggle for an official apology and reparations  from the Japanese government.
 
My name is Eric Mar,
Professor of Asian American Studies at SF State in our fifty-year-old College of Ethnic Studies!
 
On this day, two years ago as a leader on the SF Board of Supervisors, I worked with the CWJC, our pan-Asian women led coalition to develop San Francisco’s memorial.
 
With our “Comfort Women” Justice Coalition, we helped build unity among our communities to develop the CWJC from the RNRC and Chinese American groups, to Korean American and Filipino, women’s and faith-based leaders. It took tremendous leadership from all of our movements to achieve the building of this memorial!
 
SF is a proud city! We are continuing to make history and resist those that are trying to silence and crush the voices of girls and women over the generations.
 
I want to honor and thank Congressman Mike Honda for his COURAGE and HEART as an ally to our movements and for House Resolution 121 ten years ago!
 
Sculptor Steven Whyte: Thank you for this powerful Women’s Column of Strength sculpture!
 
What an incredible example of art that moves us, with transformative power to educate, motivate,  and to heal our wounds of injustice and suffering!
 
Some of you may know that I am a father. My daughter Jade is seventeen years old. Her voice may be a small one at times, yet it’s important when she raises that small voice with courage and in unity with other girls and women!
           
​Halmoni Hak-Soon Kim (depicted in memorial) was one of those small voices that courageously spoke out on August 14, 1991. And because of her small voice and the voices of so many other girls and women, our world will become more just and more humane because of their united column of strength!
           
Steven Whyte’s art places girls and women at the center of struggles for social justice and Global Justice—it’s so beautiful and powerful!
 
Millions of visitors and future generations will visit this site, like the numerous holocaust memorial sites. Our memorial will help build compassion, empathy, and deep understanding of human suffering, patriarchy, and sexism
 
It also places us, the audience in an engaged position with the three Chinese, Korean, Filipino girls and Halmoni Hak-Soon Kim with her outstretched hands!
 
The art makes me think not only about the Japanese Army’s WWII atrocities, the Halmoni’s forty to fifty years of silence, and the courage and power of the small voice speaking out and our social movements for justice.
 
We are collectively making history today in San Francisco.
History is a continuum—drawing from past women’s movements and social justice movements.
So, the history we are making is a women’s history;
it’s a pan-Asian unity history;
and a people’s living history as well.
 
My heart is joyful because on September 22, 2017, Halmoni “Grandma” Yong-Soo Lee has joined us from Korea.
 
She is living history.
She is women’s movement history.
She is pan-Asian people’s History.
She is the heart, with the several dozen remaining Halmoni’s,the heart and soul of
our people’s living history.
 
As she courageously said to the ultra-nationalists and fascists that tried to silence her during our SF Board of Supervisors hearings and deliberations,
she will never be silenced!
 
The memorial will also ensure that after we have all moved on to a better place, that our daughters, sons, grandchildren, and future generations
will know the stories,
hear the voices, and
draw the incredible strength from the courage of girls and women leaders like
Halmoni Yong-Soo Lee!
 
Halmoni: On behalf of San Francisco, we thank you for joining us on September 22, 2017 San Francisco’s Day of Justice for “comfort women”!


[1] “Halmoni” means “grandmother” in Korean. This term refers to a Korean “comfort women” survivor who has been involved in the struggle for justice since the 1990s.