A teacher’s use of a racial slur and an alien land law in Minnesota

Vol. 84, No. 23, June 17, 1977. 12 pages. View this issue

Two stories about prejudice ran across this 12-page issue. In Hollister, San Benito County JACL protested after a high school history teacher reportedly used a racial slur in class, as Phyllis Teshima reported, and the board of education heard complaints at its June 2 session. Two editorials took up the matter, and Chiz Satow wrote that the episode showed racism persisting long after World War II. On the front page, Gov. Rudy Perpich signed a Minnesota bill limiting how much agricultural land foreign nationals and non-American corporations can buy.

Other items include the 1977 Cultural Heritage Fellowship winners, with Gerry Yokota describing the experience, and a note that San Benito County was the only west coast JACL chapter to keep meeting through the war, held together at Poston. Wendy Yoshimura’s bail extension and a jury survey for her case are also covered.

What’s in this issue

National

• Some aliens barred from buying more Minnesota agricultural land, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Gov. Rudy Perpich signed a bill restricting foreign nationals and non-American corporations from acquiring more agricultural land in Minnesota. The law contains exceptions for permanent residents, treaty rights, and corporations with majority U.S. ownership.
• Heritage Language program to aid Canada Nihongo class, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ontario will fund language classes held after school hours or on weekends under a new Heritage Language Program starting in September. Existing Japanese language schools are expected to benefit from the funding.

Community

• Cultural Heritage Fellowships awarded, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eddie Coble, Harold Oshima, Gerry Yokota, and Gene Yoneda were named 1977 Cultural Heritage fellowship winners for a summer study tour of Japan. Actor Mako spoke at the program about his struggles to gain acceptance as an American actor.
• School board calls teacher to explain ‘Japs’, by Phyllis Teshima, page 1. San Benito County JACL protested after a Hollister high school history teacher reportedly used the slur ‘Jap’ in class. The chapter demanded answers from the school board, which heard complaints at its June 2 session.
• 26,000 Japanese live in N.Y., nationals outnumber Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Japanese Consulate survey found about 26,000 people of Japanese descent in the Greater New York Area, with two-thirds being Japanese nationals. Semi-permanent residents outnumber permanent residents, naturalized citizens, and native-born persons.
• Wendy given extension to raise additional bail, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Wendy Yoshimura was granted an extension to June 23 to post an additional $25,000 bail after her explosives conviction. Her attorneys said missing bank documentation was in the mail.
• Eight 1977 Nisei Week queen candidates meet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eight candidates for the 1977 Nisei Week Queen met officially for the first time and learned the contest rules. The festival runs August 20 through August 28.
• Heritage program on Asian Americans for teachers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Micki Nakagiri developed a multi-cultural seminar for Los Angeles Unified School District teachers on Asian American history and cultures. Some 500 educators have taken part through the Hispanic Urban Center’s project.
• Los Angeles Samoan group surveyed; needs identified, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A survey of 410 Samoan households in the South Bay and Long Beach area identified lack of education, employment, housing, and English language skills as major problems. Churches and family were named as the community’s main strengths.
• Presbyterian program funds jury survey for Yoshimura, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Presbyterian Council endorsed funding a jury survey for Wendy Yoshimura’s case through the United Presbyterian Program Agency. The survey assesses potential jurors’ attitudes toward the defendant.
• Fellowship experience described as fabulous, by Gerry Yokota, page 4. Gerry Yokota, a Cultural Heritage Fellowship semi-finalist, describes the supportive atmosphere among candidates and the judging process. He thanks sponsors and Richard Okabe for the weekend.
• MDC comments: school desegregation, by MDC Page Editorial Committee, page 4. School segregation remains severe in northern and western cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Fresno. The committee urges JACL chapters to engage in desegregation efforts as an opportunity to advance multicultural education.
• Diablo Valley JACL chapter petition, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Organizers in eastern and central Contra Costa County have completed requirements for a new Diablo Valley JACL chapter. The group formed to address local needs not met by existing clubs.

Incarceration & Redress

• San Benito County only west coast JACL intact through Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Benito County JACL chapter was the only west coast chapter that kept meeting during World War II, with members interned together at Poston. The chapter reaffirmed its support for national JACL at a July 1942 meeting at the camp.

Commentary

• Another Hollister ‘Quake’, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns a Hollister high school history teacher’s use of the slur ‘Jap’ in class and his defense of the remark. It argues schools must not teach racism under the guise of history.
• Not an Idle Distinction, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that Germans and Japanese cannot be equated as all embracing their wartime governments, drawing a distinction between a regime and a people. It urges public school teachers to observe this distinction.
• More than a Teacher’s Job, by Chiz Satow, page 4. Satow argues the Hollister incident shows racism persists decades after World War II and that JACL cannot be complacent. He says educators must present Evacuation injustices accurately in American history classes.
• Unique Japanese attributes based on ‘tribalism’: Clark, by David Tharp, page 10. Former Australian diplomat Gregory Clark argues in The Japanese Tribe that Japan’s uniqueness reflects enduring tribal social patterns. Clark contends progressive Japanese should accept their uniqueness rather than reject it.

Military & Veterans

• Pacific Citizen Holiday Issue story to be used in school text, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Scott, Foresman will include Allan Beekman’s story ‘No Place Beneath the Rising Sun’ in a 10th grade textbook. The story first appeared in the 1961 Pacific Citizen Holiday Issue and was later reprinted in an ethnic American anthology.

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