Remembering Tanforan: plans for the 1979 Day of Remembrance

Vol. 88, No. 28, February 2, 1979. 12 pages. View this issue

Plans for a Day of Remembrance on February 19 led the news. Bay Area groups organized a caravan to Tanforan, the former assembly center where Japanese Americans were held in 1942, and the PSW-JACL Redress Committee and Manzanar Committee planned a program in Little Tokyo. The anniversary of the rescission of Executive Order 9066 was part of the story. Karl Nobuyuki’s column on redress and Ronald Ikejiri’s report on his first 180 days as JACL Washington Representative also took up the campaign. Harry Honda reported that the National JACL Executive Committee urged close watch on spending.

Elsewhere in these 12 pages, Norman Mineta was named to the Smithsonian board and S. I. Hayakawa to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani wrote columns, Mary Fujii Henshall recalled a 1918 family move in Idaho, and Joseph Harrington’s serialized Yankee Samurai described Nisei language specialists in the Pacific war.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Tanforan Racetrack Is No More, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bay Area Japanese American organizations are organizing a caravan to the former Tanforan Assembly Center on February 19 to observe A Day of Remembrance. The event recalls the 1942 incarceration and the 1976 rescission of Executive Order 9066.
• Set Day of Remembrance Rites in Little Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The PSW-JACL Redress Committee and Manzanar Committee are co-sponsoring a Day of Remembrance program on February 19 in Los Angeles. Speakers and a presentation by the East-West Players are planned.

JACL

• Tight-Spending Pressure Still Strains JACL Programming, by Harry Honda, page 1. The National JACL Executive Committee cautioned headquarters to closely monitor expenditures because membership funds are inadequate and the organization is operating on borrowed funds. Some budgeted programs, including a youth workshop, are being held up pending review.
• Satow Fund Tops $32,000, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL-Mas and Chiz Satow Memorial Fund reached $32,817.56 from 1,087 contributors toward writing the JACL history. Contributions are tax-deductible.
• Moving Day, 1918, by Mary Fujii Henshall, page 3. Henshall recalls her family’s 1918 move by Ford truck from Emmett to Nampa, Idaho, contrasting it with her own 1968 move. She describes how the families divided their farm possessions using the game Jan Ken Po.

National

• Census Count on Racial Intermarriage Increasing but Only 1% Nationally, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Census Bureau data show interracial marriages continue to rise but still make up less than 1% of American married couples. The report also breaks down Japanese American intermarriage figures from the 1970 census.
• Mineta Named to Smithsonian Board, by P.C. Staff, page 1. House Speaker Tip O’Neill appointed Rep. Norman Mineta to the Smithsonian Institution board of regents. The board is composed of federal officials and citizen members.
• Hayakawa Named to Senate Foreign Relations Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. S. I. Hayakawa was selected to serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while remaining on the Agriculture Committee. He stated that his Japanese heritage and Canadian upbringing give him a particular perspective on foreign affairs.

Community

• Building to Start at Salt Lake Complex, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Construction of a high-rise senior citizens project is scheduled to begin in March as part of the Multi-Ethnic Center Complex in Salt Lake City. The site was acquired by the redevelopment agency and turned over to the Multi-Ethnic Housing Corp.
• Assemblyman Mori Chairs Budget Panel, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Assemblyman Floyd Mori was assigned to chair the Ways and Means subcommittee on state administration, which reviews over 500 budget items. Mori said he welcomed the opportunity to eliminate unnecessary programs.
• PACE Handymen Help Elderly, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment launched a Handyman Project offering free minor home repairs to qualifying elderly residents in Los Angeles’s Westlake district. Eligible residents must live within specified boundaries.
• Concert Held for Chol Soo Lee Defense, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee considered its December 29 fund-raising concert at the Embassy Auditorium a success, with 600 attending. Warren Furutani provided the report.

Commentary

• Off the Ground, by Karl Nobuyuki, page 4. Nobuyuki reports that JACL’s redress campaign has gained public exposure and local media attention. He argues that JACL must educate the public about the Supreme Court’s wartime rulings and keep focus on the principle of redress rather than the $25,000 figure.
• Are Our Civil Rights Being Eroded?, by Ron K. Ikejiri, page 4. Ikejiri argues that Japanese Americans, having achieved economic security, often neglect civil rights concerns. He warns that economic instability and inflation historically create conditions for civil rights erosion.
• Three Things in Mind, by Paul Tsuneishi, page 4. Tsuneishi reports on JACL efforts to secure United Way funding for an Asian Pacific agency in Los Angeles and on a request to assist Tomoya Kawakita with a humanitarian visit. He also critiques JACL’s two-year officer terms and inadequate staff compensation.
• Higher Education, by Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 4. Nakajima examines why 12 percent of Sansei do not attend college despite high overall educational attainment. He argues higher education matters for maturity, perspective, communication, and professional training.
• Thin Ice, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani describes attending a private art viewing in Philadelphia and his uneasy experience with abstract art and cocktail culture. He concludes that he will simply enjoy such events as he is.
• Why Fight It?, by Ronald Ikejiri, page 5. Ikejiri reports on his first 180 days as JACL Washington Representative, including legislative priorities such as a redress bill and designating internment camps as national parks. He also outlines plans for Asian Pacific American Heritage Week.
• A Helping Hand, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts how he helped a young Japanese American woman adopted from Japan locate her family, only to learn later she had died. He reflects on whether more could have been done for such alienated individuals.
• Politics: a Matter of Heritage, by George Nishimoto, page 6. Nishimoto recounts a suggestion that Cleveland JACL’s Henry Tanaka run for mayor of Cleveland. He reflects on the importance of Asian American political participation and commitment.

Military & Veterans

• Japan Decorates Issei Master Teaching Ikebana for 57 Years, by Mitsu Y. Carl, page 8. Mrs. Matsu Ito Fujikado, an 80-year-old Issei ikebana teacher, received Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure, 6th Class. She is believed to be the first Japanese American honored for long devotion to ikebana and fostering East-West understanding.

In-Depth

• Yankee Samurai: Secret Role of Nisei in America’s Pacific Victory, by Joseph Harrington, page 9. This serialized excerpt describes the Nisei reaction to the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack and the early work of Nisei language specialists. It details their secret contributions to the Pacific war effort, including training at the Presidio and Camp Savage.

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.