Constitutional changes and immigration fights in early 1972

Vol. 74, No. 7, February 25, 1972. 6 pages. View this issue

Proposed changes to the JACL constitution led the front page. The Central California District Council, meeting in Delano, planned to ask the National Convention to require ratification of council actions, raise the petition threshold and allow direct election of national officers. Alan Nishio, a JACL-Japan Air Lines fellowship recipient, was set to speak at a Pacific Southwest District Council luncheon. Several stories followed the debate over illegal immigration, including complaints destroyed in Los Angeles and a California bill to repeal a law on hiring illegal aliens.

Columns this week came from Bill Marutani, Warren Furutani and Jack Anderson. A letter from Chuck Chan compared the wartime treatment of Japanese Canadians with Executive Order 9066 and the U.S. incarceration (often called internment). Inside are a Mills College symposium on the forced removal, 17 national JACL scholarships open for nomination, and a book review of Lafcadio Hearn’s writings on Japan.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Alan Nishio to Address PSWDC Luncheon, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Alan Nishio, a JACL-Japan Air Lines fellowship recipient, will speak at the Pacific Southwest District Council quarterly session on U.S.-Japan relations and their implications for Asian Americans. The session includes reports from committees and a registration fee covering breakfast and lunch.
• Central Cal DC Seeks Changes to National JACL Constitution, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Central California District Council proposed constitutional amendments and a $2,000 budget allocation for consideration at the National Convention. The proposals address ratification of council actions, petition thresholds, and direct election of national officers.
• Queen Mary Ready for JACL Bowling Tourney Award Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1972 National JACL Bowling Tournament awards dinner-dance will be held aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach on March 11. Tickets at $8.50 are limited to 500 and available through Gardena Valley JACL members.
• L.A. School Board Backs Ethnic Advisory Units, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles School Board narrowly voted 4-3 to keep the Black, Mexican American, and Asian American Education Commissions. Opponents had argued the commissions spent $100,000 with little accomplishment.
• Noguchi Asks Medical Aid for A-Bomb Victims, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. Thomas Noguchi urged the California Medical Association to create a task force to treat Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors living in the state. The CMA House of Delegates voted to set up a study commission on the issue.
• Contra Costa to Sponsor Tahoe Fun Trip March 11-12, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Contra Costa JACL will sponsor a South Lake Tahoe trip on March 11-12 with proceeds going to its scholarship fund. The cost is $25 per person including overnight lodging.
• Two Speakers Planned for Dayton Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Dayton JACL will host a public health clinic medical director speaking on venereal disease and a Boy Scouts official discussing drug abuse at its Feb. 27 meeting. A potluck dinner will follow.
• Pasadena JACL Elects Thelma Stoody President, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pasadena JACL will install Thelma Stoody as president with national treasurer Al Hatate as main speaker. The chapter is also preparing a city-wide Japan Day observance from May 1 to 5.
• Deaths and Obituaries Column, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Brief notices report deaths of island artist Tennent, a Peace Corps volunteer killed in a traffic accident, and others in Hawaii and California. Tributes note their contributions to art and community.

National

• Illegal Alien Complaints Destroyed as Agency Overwhelmed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Immigration officials in Los Angeles destroyed nearly 2,000 complaints about employers using illegal aliens due to insufficient staff. Rep. Jack McDonald called for a congressional investigation into the destruction of the complaints.
• Repeal Sought for New Alien Hiring Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman William Brophy introduced legislation to repeal a California law prohibiting employers from knowingly hiring illegal aliens. Assemblyman Dixon Arnett, the law’s author, condemned the repeal effort, while Brophy argued the law is unfairly used against Mexican Americans.
• Union Boss Charges 30,000 Aliens Smuggled into U.S. from Canada, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lee Cremer, president of an INS employees union, estimated 30,000 Chinese aliens were smuggled over the Canadian border in seven years. Rep. Jack McDonald urged President Nixon to demand the resignation of the immigration service director.
• Santa Ana Congressman Quotes FBI Head Hoover on Chinese Aliens, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. John Schmitz cited an FBI report claiming a flood of illegal Chinese aliens, some alleged to be Communist agents, entering the U.S. Chinese Americans criticized his remarks as racist.
• JACL National Director Backs UBAC Fund Request, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL Director Masao Satow endorsed a $127,000 request from United Japanese Community Services to the United Bay Area Crusade. The funds would support three groups serving San Francisco’s Nihonmachi.

Commentary

• Fire Fighter Columnist Apologizes But Defends Height Limit Opposition, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle firefighter John Flood apologized for a column mocking the lowered fire department height requirement, which critics called a racist attack on Chicanos and Asians. He maintained he still believes the height rule change is wrong.
• Guest Column: Seeing Beyond Stereotypes in Film and Media, page 2. The column argues Asian Americans must fight stereotypes in public media, citing misrepresentations in films and magazine coverage. It urges JACL to channel efforts toward Sansei entering media production and writing.
• Unaccustomed as I Am, by Bill Marutani, page 2. Marutani critiques the overlong and disorganized formalities of JACL banquets, from drawn-out introductions to delayed dances. He recommends scheduling the main speaker earlier and tightening programs to honor guests.
• Seisho Gakuen, by Warren Furutani, page 2. Furutani describes attending a reunion of former Terminal Island Seisho Gakuen students and teachers, including his grandmother. He reflects on the strong community bonds and the history missing from school textbooks.
• Capital Scene: Moral Courage, by Jack Anderson, page 3. Anderson reflects on the role of individual moral courage in confronting injustice and discrimination around the world. He argues that personal ripples of hope can eventually build a current that challenges oppression.
• The Drug Report, by Mori Nishida, page 4. A letter responds to two Los Angeles Times articles on drug production quotas and pill dependence, arguing the government’s drug offensive is unclear. The writer questions the reported drop in youth drug abuse and calls for citizens to make their voices heard.
• Of Buddhahead Soul, by Mas F. Shono, page 4. A short poem asserts the writer’s identity as a Buddhahead with defiant pride and refusal to apologize for who he is. The verses reject outside expectations of conformity.

Incarceration & Redress

• Canadian Japanese Evacuation Compared to U.S. Internment, by Chuck Chan, page 4. A letter to the San Francisco Chronicle argues that the wartime evacuation and internment of Japanese Canadians was as harsh as the U.S. experience and has been overlooked. The writer urges that exhibits and books on Executive Order 9066 act as a deterrent to such inhuman acts.
• Symposium Examines Factors Behind Japanese American Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A Mills College symposium discussed the wartime evacuation of Japanese Americans and related postwar issues including the Issei citizenship and the effects of militarization in Japan. Panelists reached consensus on several points about the historical and continuing impact of the evacuation.

Military & Veterans

• Nat’l JACL Set to Award 17 Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL chapters have until April 15 to nominate candidates for 17 national freshman scholarships, including a new award in memory of 442nd veteran Mitsuyuki Yonemura. Applicants must apply through a local chapter and will no longer receive awards if they hold certain other scholarships.

Sports

• Sophie Ann Aoki Nominated for Jaycee Outstanding Young Man Award, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Manoa Jaycees nominated Sophie Ann Aoki, president of Life of the Land, for Hawaii’s Outstanding Young Men of the Year award despite its traditionally male eligibility. The nomination challenged the convention of limiting the honor to men.

Arts & Entertainment

• Book Review: Lafcadio Hearn’s Japanese Writings, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The review examines Lafcadio Hearn’s collection of essays and stories on Japan, focusing on his theories of karma and inherited memory. It highlights his attempts to interpret Japanese culture for Western readers.

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