Vol. 71, No. 13, September 25, 1970. 6 pages. View this issue
JACL’s new National Board took up its organizing work in this issue. National President Raymond Uno wrote about the executive committee’s September meeting and the volunteers behind it, while a news report covered committee appointments and board liaison assignments from the Burlingame meeting. The Central California District Council voted for two-year terms for its officers and proposed direct election of national JACL officers by the membership by 1972. On page 2, a report followed the amendments to Title II of the Internal Security Act, and on page 5 Assistant Attorney General J. Walter Yeagley’s testimony on repealing the Emergency Detention Act was printed.
Other pages carried news and opinion. A fire at a Los Angeles hotel killed 19 residents. Marjorie Flaherty wrote about Ranko Carol Yamada after the attack in Chicago. Kats Kunitsugu offered an editor’s thoughts on women’s liberation, and the letters pages included Fred Y. Hirasuna and Jim H. Matsuoka writing about civil rights policy and the Vietnam War.
What’s in this issue
Commentary
- Challenge Accepted, by Raymond S. Uno, page 1. JACL National President Raymond Uno reflects on the demanding nature of legal work and the dedication of JACL volunteers. He credits the executive committee’s intensive September meeting with setting the organization’s direction for the coming biennium.
- Women’s Lib: An Editor’s Thoughts, by Kats Kunitsugu, page 4. The columnist examines the ideas of the women’s liberation movement, including equal pay and universal child care, as presented in the Ladies’ Home Journal. She argues that women should develop independent identities beyond the home.
- Title II Repeal Campaign Continues: Yeagley’s Statement, by J. Walter Yeagley, page 5. Assistant Attorney General J. Walter Yeagley testified before the House Internal Security Committee on legislation to repeal the Emergency Detention Act. He reviewed the Act’s history, the camps once maintained under it, and existing statutes that address internal security threats.
- Amendment to End the War in Vietnam, by Senator, page 6. A senator responds to Vice President Agnew’s attack on Senators who sponsored an amendment to end the Vietnam War. He reflects on his former support for the Tonkin Gulf Resolution and explains how the war’s conduct and costs led him to oppose it.
- Letters: Civil Rights Policy, by Fred Y. Hirasuna, page 6. Fred Hirasuna criticizes JACL staff member Warren Furutani’s open letter to the Black Panther Party and Young Lords, arguing that JACL should condemn violence and demand punishment of killers. He quotes Roy Wilkins condemning extremist violence among Black activists.
- Letters: Vietnam Issue, by Jim H. Matsuoka, page 6. Jim Matsuoka criticizes Ray C. Makino’s letter defending the Vietnam War, arguing that Makino is disconnected from the human costs of the conflict. He urges Makino to engage with the problems of people directly.
JACL
- Central California District Amends Its By-Law Providing Two-Year Terms for Its DC Executives, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Central California District Council voted for two-year terms for its district officers and proposed direct election of national JACL officers by the membership by 1972. The proposal calls for a constitutional amendment committee to study the change before the next National Board meeting.
- JACL Committee Appointments Main Business of Exec Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The first Executive Committee meeting of the new National Board in Burlingame focused on organizing national committees and assigning board liaison responsibilities. The meeting also reviewed National Council mandates on student aid, bail bonds, liability insurance, staffing, and curriculum issues.
Community
- Ranko Carol Yamada Refuses to Be Silenced After Attack, by Marjorie Flaherty, page 1. Ranko Carol Yamada, who survived a throat-slashing attack in a Chicago hotel room that killed her friend Evelynn Okubo, continues her community and social justice work. She discusses her notes written during the attack and her reflections on apathy and violence.
National
- 19 Succumb in Issei Operated L.A. Hotel Fire, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A fire at the Ponet Square Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, operated by Issei lessee Yoshimatsu Minami, killed 19 residents and injured 29. Officials called for reviews of fire and building safety laws affecting older hotels with open stairwells.
- Ethnic Ratio of S.F. Civil Service Reported, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A San Francisco Human Rights Commission report found Japanese or Chinese ancestry employees made up 4.3 percent of the city’s 19,259 civil service workers. The report also documented ethnic breakdowns for Black and Spanish-surname populations.
- Ethnic Discrimination Charge Lacks Evidence in Civil Service Case, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Francisco FEPC dismissed a racial discrimination charge brought by four Chinese and one Japanese American city workers against the Civil Service Commission. The panel found insufficient evidence that the complainants were denied promotions because of their ancestry.
Incarceration & Redress
- Title II Repeal Bill Perfecting Amendments Introduced, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Chairman Richard Ichord and John Ashbrook introduced H.R. 19163 to amend Title II of the Internal Security Act, which the JACL Washington office reports is still stalled by lack of a committee quorum. The amendments would limit Title II triggers and clarify protections against detention based on race, color, or ancestry.
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