Vol. 74, No. 16, April 28, 1972. 4 pages. View this issue
Preparations for the JACL convention in Washington ran through this four-page issue. The front page described the special events planned for delegates, including a congressional dinner and a Freer Gallery exhibition. Harry K. Honda reported that the National JACL Executive Committee recommended a $1.50 dues increase to $10 to support a proposed $325,750 budget for 1973-74. Howard M. Imazeki defended the invitation to Japan’s Foreign Minister to speak at the congressional banquet, and Zebra took a satirical look at why the convention fee dropped to $60.
Also inside: plans for an exhibit of artwork made by Japanese American internees during World War II, called Months of Waiting, at the Music Center in Los Angeles. Washington Governor Dan Evans named a 20-member Asian American Advisory Council. Harry Kawahara outlined learning kits for schools, and Allan Beekman wrote about the death of author Yasunari Kawabata.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Placer JACL Hosts Okei Grave Visit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Placer County JACL conducted the first Okei pilgrimage to the grave of Okei at Gold Hill, near Auburn, California. A five-man crew cleaned the gravesite before a Buddhist memorial service was held there.
- Cleveland to Host MDC Spring Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Cleveland JACL will host the Midwest District Council spring meeting May 13-14, with delegates housed in private homes to limit expenses. The MDC Education Committee will meet concurrently, with delegates staying at a motel, and chapters were asked to return unsold copies of Bill Hosokawa’s Japanese edition of Nisei: The Quiet Americans.
- NC-WNDC to Meet in San Francisco May 7, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Northern California-Western Nevada JACL District Council will discuss National Council agenda items at its quarterly session hosted by San Francisco JACL at the Kabuki Theatre on May 7. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by a program and a dinner.
- Asian American Advisory Council of 20 Formed by Gov. Evans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Washington Governor Dan Evans appointed a 20-member Asian American Advisory Council to define issues concerning the rights and needs of Asian Americans and recommend changes in state laws and programs. The council will also develop programs in employment, education, economic development, and social services.
- Omaha Sansei Selected Outstanding Nebraska Sophomore, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Judy R. Zaiman, a 1970 National JACL scholarship winner, was named outstanding sophomore woman at the University of Nebraska. She is president of the women’s honorary sorority Alpha Lambda Delta and carries a 3.037 grade average.
- Chapter Pulse: Dayton JACLers to Host Japan Week Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Dayton JACL will host a Japan Week dinner on May 1 featuring Congressman Spark Matsunaga as keynote speaker, with Mayor James H. McGee proclaiming Japan Week in honor of Ambassador Nobuhiko Ushiba’s visit. Other chapter events include a Chicago forum on farm labor and the Sonoma County Japanese Festival.
Commentary
- Chicago JACL Asks Fair CATV Ordinance, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago JACL presented strong regulatory legislation to the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Chicago City Council to ensure cable television remains a fair and open medium available to all citizens. The chapter argued for safeguards that would keep cable access equitable.
- Let the Foreign Minister Speak, by Howard M. Imazeki, page 2. The Hokubei Mainichi editorial responds to the Bay Area Community JACL protest against inviting Japan’s Foreign Minister to speak at the congressional banquet. The editor argues that changed US-Japan relations and a mature Japanese American community make the appearance acceptable.
- The Zebra Papers: The Shoyu Affair, or Why Convention Fee Lowered to $60, by Zebra, page 3. Zebra satirically describes a shoyu company’s offer of $400,000 to sponsor the 1972 JACL Convention as the official soy sauce, and the committee’s debate over how to spend it. The column ends by suggesting the lowered $60 fee may draw more attendees.
- Learning Kits, Pamphlets on Asian Americans Planned by JACL, by Harry Kawahara, page 3. National Education Committee Chairman Harry Kawahara outlines plans for a series of pamphlets documenting the Asian American experience and learning kits for elementary through high school students. The materials aim to provide accurate curriculum resources and counter negative stereotypes.
- Morikawa: A Third Force, by Miyo Morikawa, page 3. Chicago columnist Miyo Morikawa contrasts behaviorism and psychoanalysis with a third force of humanistic psychology, drawing on Prescott Lecky and Japanese thought. She critiques Nisei assimilationism and urges understanding of ethnicity from within.
Incarceration & Redress
- ‘Months of Waiting’ Art Exhibit Planned for L.A. Music Center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An exhibit of artwork created by Japanese American internees during World War II, titled Months of Waiting, is scheduled to open in early June at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. It is co-sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the California Historical Society, following the success of the Executive Order 9066 photo exhibit.
JACL
- JACL Budget Rises to $270,180; Dues Increase Proposed, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. The National JACL Executive Committee recommended a $1.50 dues increase to $10 to fund a proposed $325,750 budget for the 1973-74 biennium. The basic operating budget rose nearly 30 percent over the previous biennium, and the recommendations will go to the National Board and National Council.
- Research and Services Report from National Vice President, by Jim Murakami, page 2. National Vice President Jim Murakami reports on the supervisory responsibilities for the Cultural Affairs, JARP, Planning, Recognitions and Resolutions committees under the reorganized JACL structure. He also calls for better communications, such as a printed directory of national, district and chapter officers’ phone numbers.
Obituaries
- Yasunari Kawabata Raised Reputation of Japanese Letters, by Allan Beekman, page 4. Allan Beekman reports on the suicide of Nobel Prize-winning author Yasunari Kawabata, 72, and reviews his career, themes of death, and influence on the world recognition of Japanese literature. Kawabata’s death followed that of Yukio Mishima seventeen months earlier.
Military & Veterans
- Okawa Dies; Canadian Veteran of Two World Wars, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Katsumi Okawa, a Russo-Japanese War and World War I veteran with the Canadian expeditionary force and later a World War II officer, died April 10 at age 87 in Hamilton, Ontario. Okawa was an engineering graduate who also served in the Canadian Army reserve.
Arts & Entertainment
- Calif. Garden Clubs Cite Hanami Organizers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Greater Los Angeles District of California Garden Clubs presented an Appreciation Award to the youth group that organized the Issei Pioneer Project wildflower field trips to the Antelope Valley. More than 28 busloads of visitors viewed the poppies.
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