Budget, redress and the 1978 JACL convention in Salt Lake City

Vol. 87, No. 1, July 14, 1978. 12 pages. View this issue

Money and redress shaped this 12-page issue as JACL looked ahead to its national convention in Salt Lake City. The proposed 1979-80 budget topped $740,000, and the paper explained a rise in regular dues to $16 and revised 1000 Club rates. Clifford I. Uyeda reported that over 90 percent of more than 4,000 survey respondents supported seeking redress for the wartime incarceration (often called internment), while the Pacific Northwest District Council voted to favor individual payments. U.S. District Judge Robert M. Takasugi was named as the recognitions luncheon speaker.

On the front page, a memorial park at the Heart Mountain camp site in Wyoming was dedicated, with Bill Hosokawa giving the main address. Inside are a reader exchange with Dr. Sheila Waters on wartime prisoners of war, Sachi Seko’s Blades of Grassroot, a profile of the Miyatake studio in Little Tokyo, and the 18 winners of JACL Freshman Scholarships.

What’s in this issue

National

• Nat’l JACL budget tops $740,000, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL proposed 1979-80 budget rises 25 to 33 percent over current spending due to higher costs. The budget includes a dues increase to $16 and revised 1000 Club rates, pending delegate approval at the national convention.

JACL

• Federal Judge Takasugi to address JACL recognitions luncheon, by P.C. Staff, page 1. U.S. District Judge Robert M. Takasugi will speak at the JACL Convention recognitions luncheon in Salt Lake City on July 21. Winners of the JACLer of the Biennium and Chapter of the Biennium awards will also be announced.
• Pacific Northwest DC favors individual redress pay plan, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Pacific Northwest District Council voted to favor individual redress payments to all beneficiaries and to limit eligibility to those affected by E.O. 9066 in specified states. The council also endorsed Dr. Clifford Uyeda for National JACL President.
• 18 win Nat’l JACL scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Eighteen high school graduates received JACL Freshman Scholarships totaling $13,150 from 260 applicants. Four JACL Collegiate Scholarship recipients were also named.

Community

• Southland community groups co-sponsor Nicholson fete, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Southern California Japanese American groups will honor Rev. and Mrs. Herbert V. Nicholson at an appreciation dinner on July 23 in Los Angeles. Rev. Nicholson worked for Japanese Americans during WW2 and advocated for their release from camps.
• Bonsai theft ring shows up expertise, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bonsai thefts have become a growing problem in New York, Southern California, Florida and Pennsylvania, with thieves targeting the most valuable trees. Experts say most thefts are carried out by local youths trying to resell the plants.
• Calendar, pulse, memos, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chapter news from across the country includes Cincinnati’s zoo weekend, Fresno’s softball game, and San Gabriel Valley scholarship awards. Several chapters announced picnics, bazaars, and fundraising results.
• News Column With Notable District Communication, by Chuck Kubokawa, page 8. NC-WNDC Governor Chuck Kubokawa addresses rising U.S.-Japan trade tensions and their impact on Nikkei in business. He urges JACL to help ease the rift through public forums at the national convention.

Incarceration & Redress

• Homesteaders unveil plaque at Heart Mountain, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A three-year project created a memorial park at the former Heart Mountain WRA camp site in Wyoming, dedicated July 2 before about 100 people. Bill Hosokawa, who was interned there, gave the main address calling for remembrance so the wrong is never repeated.

Commentary

• Callahan Inagaki, by Mack Yamaguchi, page 4. Mack Yamaguchi writes after George Inagaki’s funeral, lamenting JACL divisiveness and former leaders’ diminished involvement. He asks the PC to publish histories of past Nisei JACL leaders to show the way to unity.
• Hiroshima Pilgrimage, by Dennis A. Roland, page 4. Dennis Roland thanks donors who funded his pilgrimage to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki memorial services in August. He describes meeting bomb survivors and mayors at the United Nations and says he will be welcomed as a friend.
• POW International, by Dr. Sheila Waters, page 4. Dr. Sheila Waters, a former Allied prisoner of war, responds to a prior letter by describing Japanese wartime atrocities and calling for Japan to compensate foreign civilians. She argues the Japanese government has never acknowledged its wartime cruelty.
• POW International reply, page 4. A reader responds to Dr. Waters by urging acknowledgment of past errors on all sides, citing the Nanking massacre and Western colonial atrocities. The writer argues that justice and peace require honest accounting from every nation.
• Ethnic Japanese Editorial: An easier way to judge our budget, by Alfred Hatate, page 4. PC Board Chairman Alfred Hatate explains the Pacific Citizen budget breakdown into personnel, administrative, and production costs. He notes that rising postage and printing costs make PC expenses largely beyond its control.
• Blades of Grassroot, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Sachi Seko criticizes JACL leadership and describes a growing gap between grassroots members and national leaders. She cites past leaders’ concerns about communication and questions JACL accepting funds from Japanese companies.
• Is there Nikkei support?, by Clifford I. Uyeda, page 5. Clifford Uyeda reports that over 90 percent of more than 4,000 survey respondents support seeking redress for wartime incarceration. He argues the campaign must secure meaningful redress to prevent future injustice.
• Kodomo no tame ni, page 5. A review of Dennis Ogawa’s book on the Japanese American experience in Hawaii, praising its collection of writings spanning many decades. The reviewer highlights its philosophy of sacrifice for future generations.
• Japanese Spies in Silicone Valley, by Joe Oyama, page 8. Joe Oyama describes the view from his brother’s San Francisco apartment and contrasts it with memories of Harlem in New York. He reflects on the city’s beauty and its contrasting urban realities.
• Valiant Odyssey, by Herbert Nicholson, page 10. Herbert Nicholson introduces a book about the incarceration of West Coast Japanese Americans, with proceeds going to Hibakusha atomic bomb victims. The book offers an honest and informative account of the camp experience.

Obituaries

• Miyatake studio family continues tradition in Little Tokyo, by Bella Lagmay-Singh, page 10. The Miyatake family photography studio in Little Tokyo continues its legacy begun by Toyo Miyatake, with sons and grandchildren now working in portraiture and commercial photography. Toyo remains active and reflects on the changes to Little Tokyo.

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