The Bakke case, an Ohio governor’s apology and JACL’s 30,000 members

Vol. 85, No. 16, October 14, 1977. 8 pages. View this issue

The Bakke case ran through this eight-page issue. JACL asked President Carter to have the Justice Department clarify and retract how its brief treated Asian Americans, and the brief’s questioning of their minority status could exclude them from affirmative action programs. Attorney Francis Jung criticized the brief, Wayne Horiuchi wrote about it in Plain Speaking, and Bill Hosokawa weighed it in From the Frying Pan. The front page also reported that Ohio Gov. James Rhodes apologized after JACL protested his use of a racial slur, and that national membership passed 30,000.

Elsewhere, the Pocatello chapter made a pilgrimage to Minidoka, and a JACL forum in Little Tokyo Towers brought together Judge Bob Takasugi and Yori Wada. Letters took up reparations and the words used for the wartime camps, and Jim Murakami and Raymond S. Uno wrote about convention planning. Isamu Noguchi’s UCLA lecture, a volleyball tournament and a Texas peace garden also appeared.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Bakke case questions right of Asians as ‘minority’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL sent a letter to President Carter asking the Justice Department to clarify and retract its brief’s treatment of Asian Americans in the Bakke case. The brief’s narrow definition of Asian American and its questioning of Asian American minority status could exclude them from affirmative action programs.
• Justice Dept. pointing way for court to delay final ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Carter administration’s Bakke brief suggested the Supreme Court could avoid a definitive ruling by remanding the case to California for further fact-finding. The brief’s stakes include numerous federal minority programs, and it questioned whether Asian Americans should qualify as a disadvantaged minority.
• Bakke case continued: Justice Dept. brief questions Asian American minority status, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Attorney Francis Jung criticized the Justice Department brief for questioning whether Asian Americans qualify as a disadvantaged minority in need of assistance. He warned that a ruling emphasizing need could cut off aid to Asian Americans whose success has been partly due to affirmative action.

National

• Ohio governor issues public apology, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ohio Gov. James Rhodes apologized after JACL chapters and Washington representative Wayne Horiuchi protested his use of the slur ‘Jap’ while courting a Honda plant. Horiuchi accepted the apology while stressing the discriminatory nature of the term.
• Pacific Northwest scores reparation ‘non-action’, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Northwest District Council voiced serious concern over the lack of action on the JACL reparations program at its Spokane session. Candidates for the December district election were also announced.
• Inouye seeks tax relief for aging, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sen. Daniel Inouye introduced a tax credit bill of up to $750 to give greater relief to older Americans receiving little or no Social Security. He argued the 1976 Tax Reform Act’s elderly credit was structurally deficient and inadequate.

Community

• Pocatello in pilgrimage to Minidoka, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Members of the Pocatello JACL chapter, spanning three generations, made a pilgrimage on Sept. 11 to the former Minidoka WRA Center site. The chapter is working to have a memorial installed marking the site of the wartime ‘Hunt Relocation Center.’
• Nisei designers spruce up Cleveland, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Nisei-led design firms had a master plan for Cleveland’s Public Square approved by the federal government, funded by a $2.57-million grant. Local architect Fred Toguchi was also honored for a cultural arts center design in Lakewood.
• JACL forum explores impact of Bakke case, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A JACL forum in Little Tokyo Towers brought panelists including Judge Bob Takasugi and Yori Wada together to discuss the Bakke case’s impact on Asian Americans. Panelists debated special admissions programs, affirmative action, and the likely outcome before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Nimitz-Togo Peace Garden draws tourists to central Texas, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Nimitz-Togo Peace Garden in Fredericksburg, Texas, designed by Taketora Saita of Tokyo, is attracting visitors interested in Japanese gardens. The garden links Admirals Nimitz and Togo and includes a replica of Togo’s study.

JACL

• Sen. Hatch to address Intermountain confab, by Yuki Harada, page 1. Sen. Orrin Hatch was announced as keynote speaker for the Intermountain District Council convention in Ogden over Thanksgiving weekend. Convention planning, youth program updates, and nominations were also discussed at the fall district session.
• 30,000 signed for JACL high, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL membership surpassed 30,000 as of Oct. 5, breaking the previous all-time high. Executive director Karl Nobuyuki expressed hope that continued recruitment could push membership to 60,000.

Commentary

• Reparations, by Mariko S. Koide, page 4. A reader disputes a previous letter by Ken Hayashi and argues that reparations are a bad idea because today’s government did not make the wartime mistake. The letter also criticizes the overuse of the word ‘meaningful.’
• Rhodes/Honda, by Henry Tanaka, page 4. Henry Tanaka praises the successful JACL effort to obtain an apology from Gov. Rhodes and argues national staff should be empowered to speak with authority. He also argues that national staff and volunteer leaders should work together as a team.
• Detention Camps, by T.S. Shiraki, page 4. A reader argues that using terms like ‘detention’ and ‘relocation’ instead of ‘concentration camps’ gives the false impression that Japanese Americans lived in paradise during WWII. The letter also contrasts the organization of Chinese Americans with the perceived complacency of Japanese Americans.
• The Cost of Dying, by Wilma Hayashi, page 4. A letter writer discusses ways to reduce the high cost of funerals, including body donation to medical schools and memorial societies. The writer, who is aging, is interested in practical alternatives to traditional funeral expenses.
• JimSays: EXECOM and Other Matters, by Jim Murakami, page 4. JACL President Jim Murakami reports on JACL’s financial condition, the employment discrimination committee findings, and reparations planning. He also outlines convention preparations and the proxy vote issue under study.
• U-no Bar: Visions — 78 to 88, by Raymond S. Uno, page 4. Judge Raymond Uno reflects on the challenges of planning JACL conventions and the organization’s achievements despite diverse membership. He outlines planned 1978 convention workshops in politics, education, writers, and business employment.
• Honor Thy Mother, by Sachi Seko, page 5. A columnist reflects on a friend who cared for his Issei mother in his home for two decades, observing how the family’s routines and privacy were shaped around her. After her death, the friend’s remark about feeling orphaned prompts reflection on the mother’s life and the bonds of Issei prefectural groups.
• Plain Speaking: Wayne Horiuchi, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 5. Washington representative Wayne Horiuchi discusses the Bakke case and the competing interests of liberals divided over affirmative action and racial quotas. He argues that the California policy addresses only race rather than all forms of disadvantage.
• From the Frying Pan: The Bakke Case, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa examines the Bakke case and the position taken by JACL in favor of racial quotas for disadvantaged minorities. He argues that a race-only remedy for past discrimination risks redirecting injustice onto individuals who did not discriminate.

Military & Veterans

• Presidential Classroom, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL again reserved spaces in the Presidential Classroom for Young Americans program for high school juniors and seniors. The program offers a week in Washington exposing students to federal government structure and decision-making.

Sports

• San Mateo nabs volleyball title, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Ten teams competed in the first annual NCWNDC/Marin invitational volleyball tournament in San Rafael. San Mateo’s Six Pac took first place and the best legs trophies.

Arts & Entertainment

• Sculptor Noguchi speaking at UCLA to initiate Art Council Lectures, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sculptor Isamu Noguchi will deliver the inaugural UCLA Art Council Lecture, and his work in the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden is highlighted. The article also reviews his career, including his internment at Poston and his many public garden designs.
• People-to-People Program payoff, by Thelma Burnside, page 7. Thelma Burnside describes hosting two Japanese high school principals in her Sacramento home as part of the People-to-People Program. The visit involved shared interests in gardening, travel, and Oriental arts, and ended with gifts and a warm farewell.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.