Impeachment of JACL leaders and the Heritage Fellowship, 1975

Vol. 80, No. 13, April 4, 1975. 4 pages. View this issue

A dispute over JACL leadership ran through the commentary pages of this four-page issue. John Sugiyama’s Pepper Pot column described the impeachment efforts against the organization’s president and executive director as a breakdown of trust. Letters from Ken Hayashi and Ed Tokeshi took up the Pacific Southwest District Council’s charges, while Shigeki Sugiyama and David Ushio wrote on responsiveness and advocacy. The front page also reported on the JAL-JACL Cultural Heritage Fellowship, with Governor George Ariyoshi praising the program for helping young Japanese Americans learn their roots.

Elsewhere, the Utah Bicentennial Commission backed a Topaz monument project, a Little Tokyo survey of senior residents began, and Professor Jerry Weaver reported on health problems among Nisei men. Bill Hosokawa wrote about a week with his grandson, and a Palo Alto gallery showed eleven Japanese American artists. A report to the US Commission on Civil Rights found Asian Americans undercounted in California.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Ariyoshi Lauds JAL-JACL Push in Ethnic Pride, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Four winners of the JAL-JACL Cultural Heritage Fellowships heard Governor George Ariyoshi praise the program for helping young Japanese Americans learn their roots. JACL leaders described the fellowship’s evolution and its grassroots support across the organization.
• Key Committee Meetings Set, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL committee meetings for projects were scheduled for April in San Francisco, with national board members asked to provide input. Shig Sugiyama and David Ushio will lead the sessions, and Ushio also attended an American Revolution Bicentennial Administration meeting.
• Credit Union Accident Program Pushed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Members were reminded of the free $1,000 accidental death and dismemberment insurance offered through the National JACL Credit Union. The offer was extended through April 25 due to limited member response.

Community

• Communication Bldg. Fund Donors Lists Due May 1, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Donor names for the National Headquarters Building Fund volume must be submitted by May 1, 1975. The building is expected to be completed around May 1 with occupancy around May 15.
• Student Aid Deadline June 1, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The deadline for JACL student aid scholarship applications has been moved to June 1, according to the national scholarship program chair. Applicants of Japanese ancestry who are permanent US residents may apply, and forms are available from JACL Headquarters and regional committee members.
• Undercover Police Intelligence Files, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Recent disclosures revealed that Chicago police kept secret intelligence files on citizens and organizations that opposed Mayor Richard Daley or the police. Midwest JACL director Tom Hibino urged Daley to halt such activities and compared the surveillance to WWII-era investigations of Japanese Americans.
• Rep. Mineta to Speak at Phila. Installation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta will be guest speaker at the Philadelphia JACL installation dinner-dance on April 12 at St. David’s Inn. The Eastern District Council will also convene that day.
• Seek E-1 Visa Student Tuition Waiver, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Columbia Basin JACL and Pacific Northwest District Council have pushed a Washington state bill (SB 2508) to grant resident tuition to children of Japanese E-1 visa employees. Under current rules these students pay foreign student fees that run more than $1,000 higher per year.
• Teacher Manual on Nikkei Being Drafted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Ethnic Heritage Project advisory council met in San Francisco to develop an in-service social studies teacher training manual on Japanese Americans for schools. Project director Patricia Nakano sought comments and materials from chapters and national officers.
• Utah Bicentennial Backs Topaz Comm., by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Utah Bicentennial Commission allocated $2,500 on a matching basis to the Utah Tri-Chapter JACL Topaz Committee for monuments at the former Topaz WRA campsite and Delta city park. A San Francisco-East Bay committee is also being organized to support the effort.
• Couple Celebrate 75th Wedding Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ariyoshi and Rin Ariyoshi celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in Phoenix with family members. The couple’s history includes immigration, settlement in Arizona, and raising a family.
• Little Tokyo Housing Survey, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Senior citizens residing in Little Tokyo apartment-hotels will take part in a survey to determine eligibility for senior housing. The Little Tokyo Towers, Inc. conducted the survey April 1-18.
• Mental Health Issues Among Nisei Men, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Professor Jerry Weaver of Cal State Long Beach reported high rates of emotion-based illnesses such as ulcers and colitis among Nisei men. He also noted rising heart disease and cancer rates among Japanese Americans.
• Emotion-Based Problems Among Nikkei Male on Mainland High, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Professor Jerry Weaver of Cal State Long Beach presented findings that Japanese American men suffer unusually high rates of ulcers, colitis, and other emotion-based conditions. He also said comprehensive health data on Japanese Americans is lacking.
• Chapter Pulse, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Several JACL chapters reported on their April events and activities, including Salt Lake JACL’s membership dinner-dance and San Francisco JACL’s Nite at the Races fundraiser. Chapter news was compiled across regions.
• Another JACL Trip to Japan Sold Out, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A JACL charter flight to Japan departing July 23 from San Francisco has been sold out, with a waiting list of 12 people. Steve Doi, JACL travel committee chairman, said some cancellations are typical.
• Calif. Asians, Pacific Peoples Undercounted and Misidentified, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A California advisory committee report to the US Commission on Civil Rights found Asian Americans and Pacific Peoples are frequently undercounted and misidentified by public agencies. The report recommends a special federal census and better multilingual outreach.
• Asian Benevolent Corps Presents Asian Arts Festival, by Paul M. Saito, page 4. The Asian Benevolent Corps held an Asian Arts Festival at Montgomery Mall, aiming to weave Asian arts into the cultural fabric of the nation. The group also honored Asian representatives in Congress and a government official for leadership.

Commentary

• National Dialogue: Advocacy, by David Ushio, page 1. Ushio uses the Aesop bundle-of-sticks fable to argue that national JACL unity makes Japanese Americans strong when dealing with legislators, foundations, media, and advertisers. He stresses that as a recognizable minority the community must present its own perspective in decisions affecting it.
• To the Point: On Being Responsive, by Shigeki Sugiyama, page 1. Sugiyama discusses the need for JACL to establish continuity of direction and effective programs through national leadership. He says the organization’s structure is defined by the constitution, but effective implementation depends on adequate resources and backing.
• Pepper Pot: Impeachment and the Failure of Trust, by John Sugiyama, page 2. Sugiyama argues that the impeachment efforts against JACL’s president and executive director reflect a breakdown of understanding and trust within the organization. He warns that without mutual trust JACL may lose its responsiveness to members.
• Letters: PSWDC Impeachment, by Ken Hayashi, page 3. Hayashi defends Shig Sugiyama and David Ushio against charges raised by the Pacific Southwest District Council and criticizes the proceedings as unproductive nit-picking. He urges members to reject the motion to remove the two leaders.
• Letters: EXECOM Meeting, by Ed Tokeshi, page 3. Tokeshi questions why the executive committee received 240 pages of staff progress reports while convention minutes and membership services were delayed. He asks that the National Board’s investigation examine JACL priorities and administrative lapses.
• A Small Flower-Garden Peppermint, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa describes spending a week with his four-year-old grandson Patrick, whose boundless energy changed the household routine. He recounts Patrick’s fascination with dinosaurs and his childlike curiosity.
• Aloha from Hawaii, by Richard Gima, page 3. Gima reports that processing of foreign visitors at Honolulu airport has improved so visitors can continue their journeys without missing connections. Community councils had raised concerns about immigration procedures.

Military & Veterans

• Mineta Speaks at Columbia Basin, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A short notice reports on local community and military matters affecting Japanese American residents. No further detail is available in the OCR text.

Arts & Entertainment

• Transcendent Blossoms: Japanese American Artists on Exhibit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Syntex Gallery in Palo Alto is showing works by eleven Japanese American artists, including Ruth Asawa, Kay Sekimachi, and Arthur Okamura. The exhibit runs through April 19.

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