Schools, student unrest and JACL’s agenda in early 1969

Vol. 68, No. 9, February 28, 1969. 8 pages. View this issue

Schools and student unrest ran through much of this eight-page issue. Dr. Otto Furuta wrote that the San Francisco JACL’s decision not to invite S.I. Hayakawa to its installation dinner was a poor excuse, and Cheryl Yoshimura criticized the public feuding over the San Francisco State strike. Harry K. Honda’s editorial took up Ramon Cortines’s Pasadena speech on public education. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto previewed the second Executive Committee meeting of the 1968-70 biennium, and Henry Kanegae set JACL membership goals of 25,300 by the end of 1969 and 28,750 by 1970.

Other pages cover Bill Hosokawa’s account of seven Issei farmers honored in Denver, Mas Fukai on narcotics among Sansei youth in Gardena, and the Los Angeles Pioneer Project for Issei. Chapter news includes a Seattle JACL letter to the mayor about police protection, a Richmond school crisis panel, and plans for the Pacific Southwest District Council convention at Disneyland.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Executive Committee to Measure JACL’s Progress, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto previews the upcoming second Executive Committee meeting of the 1968-70 biennium, which will assess how well the organizational structure is functioning. He notes the committee will review programs and determine what needs to be done.
• No Hostilities Toward Japanese, by San Francisco Sun Reporter, page 1. An editorial from the San Francisco Sun Reporter criticizes the Time magazine article on Black versus Jewish confrontation for its claim about anti-Japanese oppression in San Francisco. The editorial argues that Japanese Americans have benefited from civil rights gains and have avoided racial antagonism.
• Executive Committee, by Jerry Enomoto, page 2. Enomoto’s column previews the Executive Committee’s review of JACL operations. The committee will evaluate progress in the 1968-70 biennium.
• Standing Committees in House Organized, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter lists the House standing committee chairmen and ranking minority members for the First Session of the 91st Congress. It highlights committee memberships of Representatives from states with JACL chapters.
• A Time to Do Honor, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa describes a Denver ceremony where seven Issei farmers received citations and medals from the Japan Agricultural Association for their long service to agriculture. He reflects on their pride, their Nisei children’s achievements, and why the honor came from a Japanese rather than American institution.
• Do Sansei Identify With Crowd in Narcotics?, by Mas Fukai, page 3. Fukai, a Los Angeles County Commission on Narcotics member, addresses the growing narcotics problem among Sansei youth in Gardena, noting arrests at Gardena High School. He calls for education of students and parents and urges the Gardena Valley JACL to take an active role in prevention.
• Education for Tomorrow, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Editorial reflects on Ramon Cortines’s Pasadena address on public education, which called for comprehensive, integrated, and equally provided schooling. It discusses the proposed educational park concept and the importance of strengthening student government amid student unrest.
• Membership Goal of 28,750 by 1970 Posted, by Henry Kanegae, page 4. Kanegae urges chapters to step up membership drives, noting JACL had about 23,000 members at the end of 1968 compared to 17,000 before Evacuation. He sets national goals of 25,300 by end of 1969 and 28,750 by 1970.
• Ye Editor’s Desk: Education for Tomorrow, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reviews Ramon Cortines’s speech at the Pasadena JACL installation on educating young people for their future world. It supports the educational park concept and student government reform while urging voters to support school bond issues.
• Tamotsu Murayama, by Murray Sprung, page 4. Sprung writes a tribute to the late Tamotsu Murayama, recalling their friendship in Tokyo during the Occupation and Murayama’s efforts to honor Joseph Heco, the first Japanese American. He describes Murayama as a bridge between Japan and America.
• A Poor Excuse, by Dr. Otto Furuta, page 4. Furuta condemns the San Francisco JACL decision not to invite S.I. Hayakawa to its installation dinner, calling the fear of Black-Japanese division a poor excuse. He argues Japanese Americans should embrace Sansei activism and open dialogue rather than avoid controversy.
• JACL Leadership, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A letter writer questions the presence of staff and legal counsel at national JACL Executive Board meetings, arguing elected officers should make decisions independently. The editor responds by explaining the board’s composition and the need for staff support.
• We Are Different, by Don Hayashi, page 5. Hayashi reports on a United Methodist consultation on Japanese work in San Francisco that examined challenges facing the ethnic church. He observes that Sansei are disengaging from church and traditional structures and that new strategies are needed.
• S.F. Japanese Feud Over S.F. State Is Ridiculous, by Cheryl Yoshimura, page 6. Yoshimura, writing as a guest columnist, criticizes San Francisco’s Japanese American community for public feuding over the San Francisco State strike. She urges the community to act together and avoid divisive outbursts.
• Reporter’s Notebook, by Jim Henry, page 6. Henry’s Tokyo column offers miscellaneous observations on Japanese culture, including student riots at Tokyo University, employee holiday habits, public etiquette, and the country’s rat population. It also notes early Japanese aviation history.
• Sounding Board: Disneyland Beckons, by Jeffrey Matsui, page 7. Matsui invites members to attend the 11th biennial Pacific Southwest District Council convention at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on April 25-26. He describes convention events and area attractions for the whole family.
• Night Before the Day, by Alan Kumamoto, page 7. Kumamoto describes the preparations for the PSWDC Jr. JACL winter retreat in the San Bernardino mountains, hosted by the Avantes of Hollywood. He conveys the anticipation of participants arriving from across the district.

Community

• Pioneer Project Aids Little Tokyo Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles Pioneer Project, a young group formed last year, has sponsored free film showings, an excursion to the Port of Los Angeles, and New Year’s events for Issei residents. Future plans include a speakers bureau, hot lunch programs, and recreation and clinic facilities.
• Oakland JACLer Studies Local School Problem, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Jack Aikawa, Oakland JACL’s government committee chairman, serves on the Oakland Educational Coalition addressing local school problems. The coalition aims to set criteria for a school superintendent, endorse board candidates, and review curriculum, bonds, and taxes.
• Full Social Security for Women at 62 Proposed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Patsy T. Mink cosponsored HR 6281, a bill to extend full Social Security retirement benefits to working women at age 62 who have contributed for 120 quarters. Currently such women receive only eighty percent of benefits.
• Cherry Blossom Festival Expands Format, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1969 Cherry Blossom Festival in Honolulu will center on an International Trade Mart, a change from past years that relied on imported Japanese entertainment troupes. The new format promises economic stability and a clearer showcase of Americans of Japanese ancestry’s contributions to Hawaii.
• California Legislature Eyes Student Unrest, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California’s legislature is preparing a flood of bills and constitutional amendments in response to student and teacher rebellion on college campuses. JACL Ethnic Concern chairman Dr. David Miura urged state officials to send a mediating team to San Francisco State College.
• Seattle JACL Asks for More Police Protection, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Seattle JACL chapter sent a letter to Mayor Dorm Braman requesting a seven-point community program to address civil unrest, particularly in the Central Area where Japanese Americans have suffered assault and vandalism. The letter follows the murder of Seattle Urban League director Edwin T. Pratt.
• Richmond School Crisis Subject for JACL Panel, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Contra Costa JACL will host a panel discussion on the crisis in the Richmond Unified School District, addressing integration, busing, and a teacher sanction. The panel includes the school superintendent and teacher representatives.
• Chicago JACLers Attend Operation Breadbasket, by Ruth Kumata, page 5. Kumata describes a Saturday meeting of Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference program seeking economic justice for the Black community through boycotts and covenants with companies. She writes of the inspiration Chicago JACLers drew from the movement’s emphasis on Black economic power.
• Intermountain District Council Welcomes New Faces, by Ron Yokota, page 5. Yokota reports on the first quarterly Intermountain District Council session in Salt Lake City, introducing new delegates and officers. He notes Raymond Uno’s appointment as national civil rights field director and urges chapters to strengthen civil rights involvement.
• PSWDC Chapters to Raise $40,000 for JACL Budget, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pacific Southwest District Council adopted a 1969-70 chapter quota totaling $40,000 toward the JACL budget, based on increased national dues from $5 to $6.50. The council also dropped its Century Plaza fundraising project at its first quarterly session in Gardena.
• New Constitution Goes Into Force, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pacific Southwest District Council’s new constitution, including rules of order and standing rules, took effect at its first quarterly session. The standing rules consolidate council decisions dating back to 1960.
• Placer County JACL Picnic Slated April 13, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Placer County JACL will hold its annual community picnic at its recreation park near Penryn on April 13, with a rain date of April 27. Special entertainment for Issei will include two Japanese movies at the Placer Buddhist Church.

JACL

• Only One Kasai Memorial Award in JACL Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL announced a single Kenji Kasai Memorial scholarship of $500 for this year rather than two as previously reported. Chapters have until April 15 to nominate candidates, with scholarship papers sent to Alan Kumamoto.

Incarceration & Redress

• Mexican Murals of Japanese Martyrs of Nagasaki Uncovered at Cuernavaca, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Professor Lockwood of Princeton is searching for Mexican murals depicting Japanese Christian martyrs of Nagasaki, found at a church in Cuernavaca. The article is connected to research by the Japanese American Research Project at UCLA.

National

• Nakamura Joins Five Blacks as San Francisco Schools Patrolman, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Phil Nakamura, a JACLer, was named one of ten patrolmen in San Francisco high schools, joining Black, Mexican American, Chinese American, and Anglo members. He has worked as a street worker for Youth For Service for four years.
• Racial Imbalance in California Schools Defined, First in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 5. The California State Board of Education ruled that a school is racially imbalanced when its minority enrollment differs by more than 15 percent from the district’s minority population. The rule strengthens state integration laws and affects an ACLU suit against the Los Angeles school district.

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