Redress, Sen. Hayakawa and the JAYS Assembly in Salt Lake City

Vol. 87, No. 5, August 11, 1978. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress was the issue’s main argument. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa publicly opposed JACL’s newly launched campaign, and JACL leaders and Rep. Norman Mineta answered him on the front page. Inside, an editorial by H.H. and a column by Bill Hosokawa took up the same dispute, while two letters from Brian Ishikawa and Gunnar Olsborg argued opposite sides. Lori Kimura reported from the 7th biennial National JAYS Assembly at the University of Utah, where the youth delegates won a $45,000 youth-NYCC budget from the JACL convention.

The convention coverage continued on page 6 with resolutions acted upon and the $111,000 in district funding. Chuck Kubokawa wrote about JACL’s next 50 years. Other pages carried the Nisei Week Queen candidates in Little Tokyo, a Sansei architect’s plan for the Salt River in Tempe, and columns by Sachi Seko and Joe Oyama.

What’s in this issue

Community

• $45,000 Overwhelms JAYS, by By LORI KIMURA, page 1. The 7th biennial National Japanese American Youths (JAYS) Assembly at the University of Utah drew enthusiastic delegates for five days of workshops, performances, and events. The assembly also lobbied the JACL convention successfully for a $45,000 youth-NYCC budget.
• Sansei Architect Completes Plan to Redevelop Salt River, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sansei architect Jon Stanley Kimoto developed the Rio Salada Project, which would convert a stretch of the Salt River through Tempe into a recreation and industrial development. The plan was reviewed by the Tempe city council and has been studied by state and county officials.
• Ten Seek Nisei Week Queen Title; Little Tokyo’s 38th Gala Set, page 1. Ten candidates were presented for the 1978 Nisei Week Queen title, to be chosen at the Coronation Ball on Aug. 19. The article profiles each contestant and notes the festival’s upcoming events.
• NCCCF Kato Seminary Scholarship Needs Help, page 2. The Northern California Christian Church Federation seeks donations for the Rev. Suzunosuke Kato Memorial Scholarship, which granted two scholarships this year to Sansei seminary students. The article traces the scholarship’s history since 1929.
• Equal Opportunity Workshop a Hit at the SLC Confab, page 3. A JACL convention workshop in Salt Lake City addressed challenges facing middle-aged Nisei breadwinners in employment advancement. Delegates urged the New York JACL to repeat the workshop in other cities.
• JACL’s Next 50 Years, by Chuck Kubokawa, page 7. NC-WNDC Governor Chuck Kubokawa argues JACL will remain necessary as long as racism exists and outlines programs such as a talent bank, Nikkei retirement planning, and a new constitution. He also addresses the 1980 census, dues increase, and membership goals.

Commentary

• JACLers Dispute Sen. Hayakawa’s Comments on Redress, by By SHARON SUZUKI, page 1. Sen. S.I. Hayakawa publicly opposed JACL’s newly launched redress campaign, prompting strong rebuttals from JACL leaders and congressman Norman Mineta. Critics argued Hayakawa, who was never incarcerated, did not understand the experience of Japanese Americans during the war.
• Hayakawa Flap, by H.H., page 4. The editorial defends JACL’s redress campaign as a call for justice for Japanese Americans evacuated during World War II. It argues that Senator Hayakawa’s dismissal of the claim as ridiculous reflects an unwillingness to acknowledge past wrongs.
• Bienniums Past and Ahead, by Randy Chin, page 4. JAYS member Randy Chin reviews programs from the 6th and 7th JAYS biennium conventions and lists priorities for the future. He emphasizes stronger chapters, advisor support, and cooperation with JACL.
• Redress—No, by Brian Ishikawa, page 4. A letter writer argues that the JACL’s $25,000 per-person redress demand is unnecessary and rekindles wartime resentment. He urges the JACL to focus instead on legislative action and public education.
• Redress—Yes, by Gunnar Olsborg, page 4. A letter writer supports the JACL’s redress pamphlet and argues that drastic measures are needed to make the Constitution meaningful. He notes that Germany provided redress to Holocaust victims.
• Seagoville Camp, by Anne Loftis, page 4. A letter writer shares information from a physician who worked at a Seagoville enemy alien camp during WWII, distinguishing it from War Relocation Camps. She references a new book by Jerre Mangione on the subject.
• Nikkei’s Culture, by Jo Berst Okura, page 4. A Cincinnati JACL member responds to earlier editorial remarks about Japanese American culture and intermarriage, describing local efforts to teach Japanese culture and the Evacuation in schools. She notes that many resource people are not JACL members.
• Noncompliant Nicholas, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Columnist Sachi Seko describes the comic challenges of adopting a German shepherd puppy named Nicholas during a summer at midlife. She reflects on how his demands have disrupted her planned quiet season.
• Hayakawa on Evacuation, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Columnist Bill Hosokawa criticizes Senator Hayakawa for opposing redress and calling the wartime evacuation perfectly understandable. He argues the action rested on racism and suspension of citizens’ rights, and urges Hayakawa to learn the history.
• Mt. Olympus and Other Chapter Notes, page 6. Chapter news includes Fresno JAYS activities, Monterey Peninsula’s rummage sale, and Seabrook JACL’s installation of officers with Rep. Norman Mineta as speaker. Honors for local youth and a Japanese government award to a local priest are also noted.
• Of Crocodiles and—a Nude, by Joe Oyama, page 7. Columnist Joe Oyama recounts a series of unusual experiences since moving to California, including reading about African crocodiles and witnessing a nude man in New York and a nude woman in Sausalito. He reflects on contrasts between cities.

Obituaries

• Orange County Nikkei Leader in Civic and Farm Community Succumbs, page 2. Hitoshi ‘Hit’ Nitta, a longtime Orange County farmer and civic leader who served as county JACL president, died of cancer at age 61. He was involved in numerous community organizations and had been interned at Poston, where he helped lay out camp farms.

In-Depth

• History Buffs Mark ‘White Point Day’, page 2. The San Pedro Bay Historical Society designated the White Point area a historical landmark, recognizing its Issei abalone harvesting and the seashore spa built by Tamiji Tagami. The site also hosted the 1932 Japan Olympic swim team.

National

• Biennium Awardee Heads for Israel, page 2. K. Patrick Okura, the 1976-78 Nisei of the Biennium, traveled to Tokyo and Jerusalem to present a paper on Asian American mental health programs at international forums. He will speak at the International Congress of Social Welfare in Jerusalem.
• U.S. A-Bomb Victim Listed on Death Roll, page 3. American POW Henry Atkinson, killed in the 1945 Hiroshima bombing, was officially added to the atomic bomb victim register at his father’s request. The father learned of his son’s fate through a list of U.S. military personnel killed in the bombing.

JACL

• Allocation of $111,000 for District Funds Bared, page 6. Mits Kawamoto announced the FY 1979 allocation of $111,000 in district funding to the eight JACL district councils during the national convention. The National Council approved the allocation.
• Convention Wrap-Up: Resolutions Acted Upon at Salt Lake City, page 6. The article summarizes ten resolutions presented at the JACL convention, including a boycott of non-ERA states, women’s participation, and a constitutional convention. It also reports on the A-bomb survivors, alien land bills, anti-discrimination efforts, and the Inagaki Prize.

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