Vol. 85, No. 18, October 28, 1977. 8 pages. View this issue
Plans for housing for aging Issei and Nisei led the news. The East Bay Issei Housing Committee was seeking $60,000 to finish a federal loan application, with sponsorship from Eden Township JACL and other groups. Also on page 1, Linus Pauling recalled how an anti-Nisei message on his garage in 1945 led to a lifetime of activism, and Chicago approved a bilingual schooling plan. Inside, the commentary pages took up the Bakke case in columns by Masaru Odoi and Chiz Satow, and Clifford I. Uyeda, new chairman of the JACL National Reparations Committee, set out his goals.
Bill Hosokawa wrote on airline hijackers, and Bill Marutani questioned proxy voting at national conventions. Sachi Seko reviewed a play about two Issei women at Minidoka. Frank Okusako recalled his 1945 effort to win the release of Tule Lake detainees, and a sports item followed a solo sailor’s 147 days at sea.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Funding for Eastbay Issei housing asked, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The East Bay Issei Housing Committee is seeking $60,000 to complete a federal loan application for a housing project for aging Issei-Nisei. Donations from local organizations and churches have been received, though individual donations are not being solicited until the committee obtains tax-exempt status.
National
- Anti-Nisei smear activated Pauling’s social crusades, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nobel laureate Linus Pauling recalled that an anti-Nisei message smeared on his Altadena garage in 1945, after he hired Nisei gardener George Mimaki, spurred his lifelong social and political activism. The Paulings became active in the ACLU and against the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.
- Bilingual schooling plan for Chicago approved, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago Board of Education approved a bilingual education program ending over 12 years of litigation with HEW over services for minority and non-English-speaking children. JACL Midwest Director Tom Hibino said the plan is significant for Asian Americans because it requires bilingual education in every school regardless of language group size.
Commentary
- Six Months, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 4. Karl Nobuyuki reflects on his first six months as National JACL staff, praising the organization’s strength and the work of its members. He outlines challenges ahead, including new forms of prejudice and how to unite multiple generations behind common goals.
- Proxy voting at national conventions, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani questions the fairness of proxy voting at JACL national conventions and argues it undermines the purpose of in-person debate. He proposes limiting proxy use to one convention in three and setting a quorum requirement.
- Friendship Funds, by Akira Kubota, Ph.D., page 4. Akira Kubota supports reallocating Japan-United States Friendship Commission funds toward Nikkei community programs and more Nikkei representation. He notes that Asian experts of Asian descent remain marginalized in U.S. Asian studies.
- Naval History, by Tak Matsuda, page 4. Tak Matsuda responds to a prior letter about Japanese naval officers who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He expresses interest in learning more about their activities and sources.
- Bakke Case, by Masaru Odoi, page 4. Masaru Odoi criticizes modern human rights advocacy for selectively protecting some groups while ignoring majorities, and opposes affirmative action as reverse discrimination. He directly challenges National JACL Legal Counsel Frank Iwama’s support for racial quotas in the Bakke case.
- Around Our City, by Chiz Satow, page 4. Chiz Satow describes deteriorating conditions in San Francisco’s Chinatown, including crowding, crime, and unemployment among new immigrants. He also expresses concern that many community members are indifferent to issues like the Bakke case and JACL’s reparations program.
- Airline Hijackers, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa contrasts West Germany’s forceful rescue of Lufthansa hostages with Japan’s decision to meet hijacker demands for a Japan Airlines flight. He discusses whether Japan’s national character has changed since World War II.
- Nitro + Glycerin, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 5. Wayne Horiuchi describes how Ohio JACL chapters worked with the Washington JACL office to pressure Governor James Rhodes into apologizing for using a racial slur. He argues the combination of national and local JACL action is especially powerful.
- Glittering of Spring, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Sachi Seko reviews Aaron Morishita’s play about two Issei women learning English at Minidoka, which won the University of Utah playwriting competition. She praises its subtle treatment of the evacuation experience and its portrayal of universal human values.
JACL
- Reparations Committee, by Clifford I. Uyeda, page 6. Clifford Uyeda, the new chairman of the JACL National Reparations Committee, outlines the committee’s goals of clarifying the reparations concept and developing a realistic legislative proposal. He hopes to complete the educational phase for Japanese Americans by the Salt Lake City convention.
Incarceration & Redress
- Road out of the Tule Lake, by Frank Okusako, page 8. Frank Okusako recounts his 1945 effort to lobby a Cabinet-level official and Justice Department contacts for the release of Tule Lake detainees. He describes the meeting, the sympathetic support of two Democratic party officials, and the camp’s closure in March 1946.
Sports
- Transpacific sailor, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Seiji Okamura completed a solo transpacific sailing voyage from Ube, Japan, arriving at Half Moon Bay on Oct. 8 after 147 days at sea. He sailed aboard his 20-foot boat Cynthia III.
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