Vol. 70, No. 12, March 27, 1970. 6 pages. View this issue
Repeal of Title II of the Internal Security Act of 1950 led the news. Ross Harano reported that former Supreme Court justice Arthur Goldberg told the House Internal Security Committee the act is unconstitutional and should be repealed, with Rep. Spark Matsunaga and Rep. Chet Holifield among the witnesses who joined the call. The front page also carried a statewide JACL campaign to dispel the myth that Asian American students are self-sufficient financially and academically, and a report on San Francisco community leaders who criticized the United Bay Area Crusade for its share of funding.
Columnists filled the inside pages. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto wrote about a visit to the San Luis Valley chapter in Colorado, and Bill Hosokawa profiled the Omaha chapter. Bill Marutani looked at the limits placed on what Nisei may say. Joe Hamanaka covered a picket of the Seattle Elks Club, Roy Sano wrote about a pollution art show by Sansei artists in Oakland, and Allan Beekman reviewed a book of Japanese crafts.
What’s in this issue
National
- Title II Repeal Hearings Open; Goldberg Calls Act Unconstitutional, by Ross Harano, page 1. Former Supreme Court justice Arthur Goldberg testified before the House Internal Security Committee that Title II of the Internal Security Act of 1950 is unconstitutional and should be repealed. Congressional witnesses including Rep. Spark Matsunaga and Rep. Chet Holifield joined the call for repeal, which drew broad support during the hearings.
- Asian Americans Protest Attitude of Area Crusade, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chinese, Filipino and Japanese Americans in San Francisco have criticized the United Bay Area Crusade for allocating less than 1.5 percent of its $16 million to Asian American needs. Community leaders met with UBAC president Robert Harris to demand increased funding for the Asian American community.
Community
- JACL Brands Japanese American Students Smart, Affluent a Myth, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A statewide JACL campaign launched by the Pacific Southwest District Council seeks to dispel the myth that Asian American students are self-sufficient financially and academically. The campaign urges Japanese community banks to adopt the Federal Insured Student Loan program and calls for continuing UCLA’s High Potential program.
- Sansei on Pollution, by Roy Sano, page 4. The Oakland Museum Pollution Show, organized by Sansei artists Gordon Yamamoto and Robert Onodera with Don de Dio, drew around 150,000 visitors and gained national attention as the first pollution art show in the United States. The article profiles the organizers and their artistic backgrounds.
Commentary
- Colorful Colorado, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto recounts his visit to the San Luis Valley chapter in Colorado, including meetings with students and chapter members in Alamosa and Denver. He reflects on community respect for JACL and the importance of continued dialogue among members.
- No Ordinary Chapter, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa profiles the Omaha JACL chapter, highlighting outgoing president Noriaki Okada, incoming president Walter Allen, and past president Pat Okura. He describes how the chapter’s diverse membership reflects the strength of JACL.
- Abortion Law, page 5. Hawaii Governor John Burns allowed an abortion bill to become law without his signature, making Hawaii the first state to legalize abortion. The column discusses reactions from Catholic critics and the governor’s personal statement on the decision.
- Traditional Crafts of Japan, by Allan Beekman, page 6. Allan Beekman reviews Tachibana Minko’s book illustrating 28 Japanese crafts of the eighteenth century, reproduced in a modern edition by John Weatherhill. The review considers the prints as a window into artisan life in Japan two centuries ago.
- Not Like It Is, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Bill Marutani reflects on how local political figures praised his JACL speech while implicitly warning him not to go too far, which he sees as an arbitrary boundary on what Nisei may say. He calls on Japanese Americans to recognize and break through this invisible line.
Military & Veterans
- Asians Picket Seattle Elks Club, by Joe Hamanaka, page 2. Members of the Asian Coalition for Equality picketed the Seattle Elks Club over its white-only membership policy during the Nisei Veterans Committee’s 25th anniversary dinner-dance held there. The NVC voted against cancelling the event, though the coalition said it had achieved its goal of bringing the issue into the open.
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