Gerontology Project debate and Asian American common needs

Vol. 76, No. 24, June 22, 1973. 6 pages. View this issue

JACL’s Social Gerontology Project was the subject of the front-page column by National JACL President Henry K. Tanaka, written ahead of the Interim National JACL Board meeting. He wrote about the controversy and the communication gaps between JACL and Asian American community groups, and argued that direct service and training programs belong together. Also on page one, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether San Francisco schools must offer special instruction for Chinese-speaking children, and Frank Ching reported that a New York State Human Rights Appeal Board found the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center guilty of discrimination against Asian American actors.

Other pages carry columns by Friar Tanaka, Bill Weed and Ellen Endo, and a letter from Sachio Saito about calling Manzanar a concentration camp. Chapter news from Portland and Puyallup Valley appears on page four. Page six has a review of Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human, word that Yoshiko Uchida will receive a Commonwealth Club silver medal, and Joe Oyama’s farewell to New York.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Gerontology Project, by Henry K. Tanaka, page 1. National JACL President Henry Tanaka discusses the controversy surrounding the awarded Social Gerontology Project and the communication gaps it revealed between JACL and Asian American community groups. He argues that direct service and training programs should be viewed as inseparable and that cooperation among organizations is essential.

Military & Veterans

• Special Classes for Asian Pupils, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the San Francisco Unified School District must provide special instruction for Chinese-speaking children. The decision could affect about 1,800 students, mostly recent immigrants in Chinatown.

National

• State Human Rights Appeal Board Reverses Decision Against Actors’ Fight for Jobs, by Frank Ching, page 1. A New York State Human Rights Appeal Board found the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center guilty of discrimination against Asian American actors. The ruling reversed a prior decision and focused on the practice of awarding Oriental roles to non-Oriental actors.

Community

• South Pasadenan Heads Harvard’s GSB Student Body, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tanaka, a South Pasadena native, became the first Asian American to head Harvard Graduate School of Business’s student body. He had previously taught in the Teachers Corps and earned degrees from Mexico State University and Williams College.
• Meeting Community Needs, page 4. The author argues that the local JACL chapter meets many needs of the Japanese American community through affirmative programs for young and elderly members. The piece lists educational, cultural, scholarship, and civic activities that address community needs.
• Portland JACL: Dr. Homer Yasui and Where It Went, page 4. A Portland JACL financial accounting explains where the chapter’s operating capital went, mainly postage, printing, and office supplies for member mailings and newsletters. The column breaks down how the limited budget was spent.
• Fulbright Lecturer Addresses Puyallup Valley JACL, page 4. Dr. Homer Yoshimoto, a Fulbright lecturer and chairman of philosophy at International Christian University in Japan, spoke at the Puyallup Valley JACL dinner honoring area graduates. His talk addressed Japanese American perspectives and his academic background.
• Mrs. Tomiko Ishikawa Named Fresno’s Mother of 1973, page 6. Mrs. Tomiko Ishikawa was honored as Fresno’s Mother of 1973 at a banquet at the Fresno Hilton. The event recognized her community service.
• New York, We’ll Miss You, by Joe Oyama, page 6. Columnist Joe Oyama bids farewell to New York, praising the New York Nichibei for building community among Japanese Americans there. He discusses the screening of the film Little Tokyo and its reception by New York audiences.

Commentary

• Misora Hibari’s Fame and Fate, by Friar Tanaka, page 2. The columnist examines the family scandal involving entertainer Misora Hibari and her brother, and the public reaction to her continued career. The column questions whether her brother should sacrifice his ambitions to protect her.
• Japan ‘Suspicious’ of Nixon’s ‘New Atlantic Charter’, by Bill Weed, page 2. Japanese opinion is predominantly suspicious of President Nixon’s proposed new Atlantic Charter, fearing it could return the world to cold-war confrontation with the Soviet Union and China. The columnist explains the reasons behind this skepticism.
• Sansei Vocabulary: Not ‘Right On’, by Ellen Endo, page 2. Ellen Endo, a Rafu Shimpo writer, reflects on the language and attitudes of the Sansei generation, critiquing the crude vocabulary some young activists use. She argues for more thoughtful expression.
• One-sided System Robs Asian Children, Hawaiians Told, page 3. Rep. Patsy Mink told a Hawaii conference that students are being educated in a system that rejects their own heritage because Asian studies are nearly absent from schools. She urged introducing Asian studies at every level of education.
• Letter from Sachio Saito on Manzanar and Concentration Camps, by Sachio Saito, page 3. Saito responds to the debate over calling Manzanar a concentration camp, arguing the term is inappropriate and that Nisei should seek acceptance as Americans. He reflects on his own experiences with prejudice.

Arts & Entertainment

• No Longer Human, page 6. A review of Osamu Dazai’s novel No Longer Human, following the protagonist Yozo’s troubled life and mental decline. The reviewer discusses the novel’s autobiographical elements and its narrative techniques.
• Yoshiko Uchida to Receive Commonwealth Club Silver Medal, page 6. Author Yoshiko Uchida will receive the Commonwealth Club of California silver medal for her children’s book Samurai of Gold Hill. She is the first Japanese American recognized by the club for juvenile literature.

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