Convention talk, Title II repeal and campus unrest

Vol. 70, No. 22, June 5, 1970. 6 pages. View this issue

JACL’s coming national convention in Chicago ran through much of this six-page issue. National President Jerry Enomoto wrote about dinners with chapter members and about the Mike Masaoka Testimonial, and Jean Sakamoto offered fashion advice for the events. The paper also followed the push to repeal Title II, the Emergency Detention Act, with a KTVU program and a Riverside church group joining the campaign. Mike M. Masaoka wrote on Congress, Cambodia and war powers, and several younger writers, among them Ron Wakabayashi, Patti Dohzen and David Takashima, reflected on identity, campus life and Vietnam.

Other pages carry San Francisco’s school integration plan and Alice Moriguchi’s open letter against it, the Ethnic Heritage Studies Centers Act, and Marcia Sakamoto’s recollection of her father’s opposition to the evacuation order. JACL planning commission transcripts on membership and the Endowment Fund appear on pages five and six, along with letters from Dr. Teru Togasaki, Sue Kunitomi Embrey and Fred Y. Hirasuna.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Two Dinners, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. National JACL President Jerry Enomoto describes informal dinner discussions with JACLers from several Central California chapters about issues facing the organization before the Chicago convention. He also recounts a dinner with Japanese Consul General Hara and emphasizes the value of open dialogue even without full agreement.
• Feedback—Both Ways, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto thanks members who wrote letters of support for his work as National President, while acknowledging that others hold reservations or hostility toward his positions. He credits JACL’s positive direction to the many members who do hard community work.
• Chicago, Chicago: What milady might be wearin’, by Jean Sakamoto, page 1. Jean Sakamoto offers fashion guidance for women attending the 1970 National JACL Convention in Chicago. She describes appropriate attire for each event, from the July 14 mixer to the convention banquet and ball.
• Congress & Cambodia, by Mike M. Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka examines Senate debate over presidential war powers and the Cooper-Church amendment to cut off funds for Cambodia operations. He notes the significance of war powers for Japanese Americans given the 1942 evacuation order and recounts JACL’s Memorial Day tributes at Arlington.
• We, Japanese, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 4. Ron Wakabayashi reflects on his feelings of pride and disdain toward Japanese and Japanese American identity while growing up. He questions the contradiction of his pride alongside prejudice toward other groups and calls for empathy.
• A Brother Is Dead, by Victor Shibata, page 4. Victor Shibata writes about the human costs of a society driven by profit, citing drug abuse and suicide among young people. He urges readers to care for others and recognize shared humanity.
• Dig Yourself, by Patti Dohzen, page 4. Patti Dohzen describes the quiet campus at L.A. State and the reasons student dissatisfaction has not turned into mass protest. She suggests commuter students and career focus limit political engagement.
• May-a ‘bum’ trip, by David Takashima, page 4. David Takashima describes his struggle to explain to his parents, returning from Japan, his opposition to the Vietnam War and the events in America during their trip. He recounts the violence against campus protesters and questions the government’s accountability.
• Helpless feeling, by David Takashima, page 4. A column on the author’s sense of helplessness after a month of national turmoil over Vietnam and campus violence. The piece reflects on how difficult it is to explain these events to older relatives.
• Jeffrey Matsui Column, by Jeffrey Matsui, page 5. A youth column discussing JACL convention preparations and Junior JACL programming. It covers business meetings and workshops planned for the national convention in Chicago.
• Youth desk: Chapter membership recommendations, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Transcript excerpts from a JACL planning discussion on increasing and promoting membership. Participants consider publicizing fringe benefits, limiting chapter size, and developing interest-based chapters for young adults.
• Letter: Most valued asset, by Teru Togasaki, M.D., page 6. Dr. Teru Togasaki writes in support of President Enomoto’s emphasis on youth perspectives, calling Junior JACL members the organization’s most valued asset. She argues their voices should be heard and heeded.
• Letter: Taos Indians, by Sue Kunitomi Embrey, page 6. Sue Kunitomi Embrey urges JACL support for HR 471 to restore Blue Lake lands to Taos Pueblo. She explains the sacred significance of the land and calls for letters to senators and chapter resolutions.
• Letter: Nisei of Biennium, by Fred Y. Hirasuna, page 6. Fred Hirasuna urges publication of President Enomoto’s memo on the Nisei of the Biennium selection process. He argues the memo should be judged on its merits and criticizes efforts to discredit the selection process.

JACL

• A Request, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto asks members to support the Mike Masaoka Testimonial at the Chicago Convention, honoring Masaoka’s achievements as JACL’s Washington Representative. He thanks Chairman Kumeo Yoshinari and Harry Mizuno for their work on the project.
• PNWDC seeks JACL office in Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Northwest District Council asked National JACL to reactivate its Seattle regional office, requesting $20,000 for staff and rent. The goal is to attract young people, expand Northwest programs, and handle correspondence.
• June 15 deadline nears for student aid applicants, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Southwest JACL Student Aid Committee opened its program for needy students, with a June 15 deadline. The program supports students of Japanese ancestry who show a strong desire to continue their education.

National

• Ethnic heritage bill now in Senate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Ralph Smith introduced the Ethnic Heritage Studies Centers Act of 1970 to fund teacher training and curriculum development for a more balanced national history. A similar House bill introduced by Rep. Roman Pucinski is supported by JACL.
• House asks study on campus riots, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Spark Matsunaga joined over 70 House colleagues in sponsoring a resolution to create a Presidential Commission studying recent campus unrest. He stated opposition to violence as a means of shaping national policy.

Community

• Japan Influences Western Living, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The West Los Angeles JACL Auxiliary staged a display on Japanese influence on Western art, architecture, fashion, and design at the Pacific Southwest District Council pre-convention rally. Items included woodblock prints, books, textiles, pottery, and hibachi.
• Panel discussion on County government set, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Wilshire JACL chapter will host a June 8 panel on Los Angeles County government featuring county officials and a film on county services. Organizers stress the importance of residents understanding proposed Charter changes before voting.
• TV calls for repeal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco-Oakland station KTVU scheduled a program on Title II, the Emergency Detention Act, with interviews of Congressmen on repealing it. The station editorialized in favor of repeal to prevent future wartime detention of citizens.
• Furutani to speak, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Venice-Culver JACL will hold a general meeting on June 5 with Warren Furutani as main speaker, followed by a Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic bomb film. The public is invited.
• 200 gather at award-talent fete, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 200 people attended the Santa Maria Valley JACL Award-Talent Night honoring high school graduates. Shizuko Takayasu received the chapter scholarship and Terrie Furukawa was named runner-up for the National JACL Award.
• School integration plan calls for bussing in S.F., by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco board of education adopted Plan A to bus students and integrate ten schools in the Richmond Complex. Mrs. May Ochi resigned from the advisory council in protest, while Katherine Reyes of the National JACL Committee for Responsible Education spoke in favor of the original program.
• Sonoma County Jrs. walk for mankind, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six Sonoma County Jr. JACL members completed the 22-mile Walk for Mankind sponsored by Project Concern. Together they collected over $2,000 for the medical aid program.
• Nisei mother objects to S.F. school mix plan, by Alice Moriguchi, page 1. Nisei mother Alice Moriguchi wrote an open letter calling the Richmond Complex integration plan another form of racism because it pairs schools with the highest Oriental enrollment with predominantly Black schools while excluding the highest-white school. She urged the Board of Education to reconsider the selection.
• Asian ex-addicts, drug official expose narcotic problem in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Speakers Mas Fukai, John Takai, and Russell Valparaiso addressed the Harbor Optimist Club on drug abuse among Asian youth in Los Angeles. Takai, a former addict, described programs such as Yellow Brotherhood and Self-Help working to address the problem.

Incarceration & Redress

• Riverside Women, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Women’s Alliance of the Riverside Unitarian Church decided to support the Title II repeal campaign after meeting with the Riverside JACL committee. The group viewed the CBS documentary The Pride and the Shame and heard talks from local civil rights leaders.

Arts & Entertainment

• Jimmie Sakamoto’s daughter recalls her father’s fight against Evacuation, by Renee Renouf, page 1. Dancer Marcia Sakamoto recounts her family history, including her father James Y. Sakamoto’s opposition to the Tolan Committee and evacuation while editing a Seattle Japanese language newspaper. She also discusses her dance training and study at Mills College.

In-Depth

• Finale: Membership, Endowment, Other Concepts, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Transcript excerpts from the JACL Planning Commission discussing how to use the Endowment Fund and the Masaoka testimonial fund. Participants debate staff expansion, a Washington office, and a shift toward community-based representation for Sansei.

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