Redress hearings ahead, and a cancelled JACL youth conference

Vol. 92, No. 24, June 19, 1981. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page of this issue carried the news that the 1981 National JACL Youth Convention, planned for UC Irvine, was cancelled for lack of registration. Inside, much of the paper looked ahead to the redress hearings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. One article explained how to prepare testimony, another sought more witnesses for the Los Angeles and San Francisco hearings, and Grayce Uyehara wrote that redress is a matter of giri. Amy Iwasaki Mass wrote on why many evacuees excused the evacuation, and the front page also announced a grand Tule Lake reunion planned for 1982.

The columns include Harry Honda, Henry Sakai, Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani. Local news covers the Gardena senior housing dispute, a benefit luncheon for Carole Fujita, and the JACL’s objection to a California pet bill it saw as anti-Asian. Chapter scholarship winners are listed on page 6.

What’s in this issue

National

• JACL Youth Conference Cancelled Due to Insufficient Registration, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1981 National JACL Youth Convention scheduled at UC Irvine was cancelled at the last minute due to insufficient registration from parent chapters, falling short of the 180 youth delegates needed to meet housing deposit requirements. This follows another JACL youth event cancellation in Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific district, and deposits will be returned by the PSWDC JACL Office.
• Asian Americans Urged to Shed ‘Failure’ Syndrome, by P.C. Staff, page 1. William H. ‘Mo’ Marumoto, president of The Interface Group, told the Asian and Pacific American Federal Employee Council that Asian Americans must integrate more with majority and power groups to succeed professionally. He emphasized the need to overcome fear of failure and develop management skills to advance into mainstream leadership roles.
• U.S. Population Growth Rate Dropping, Other Trends Noted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Census Bureau acting director Daniel B. Levine reported at a demographics conference that U.S. population growth is slowing while the population ages, with over half living in Western and Southern states. Asian and Pacific Islanders were the fastest-growing group in the 1970s, increasing from 1.5 million to 3.5 million, largely due to immigration.
• Latino Plan Redistricts Out Seat of Ex-Assemblyman Bannai, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Californios for Fair Representation unveiled a state Assembly reapportionment plan designed to increase Latino representation from 4 to at least 10 seats. The plan would collapse the seat previously held by Republican Paul Bannai of Gardena, now held by Democrat Dick Floyd, due to population shifts costing the county two Assembly seats.
• CWRIC Adds 3 to Staff, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three new appointments to the CWRIC staff were announced, including Donna J. Komure to the legal department and Donna Sagioka and Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga to other positions. The announcement was made by spokesperson Gregory King.
• Children’s Disease on the Rise in U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 7. Kawasaki Disease, a mysterious illness frequently striking Asian children, is increasing dramatically in the U.S. but many cases go undiagnosed, according to Dr. John Calabro. The disease, identified in Japan in 1967, causes high fever, rash, and can lead to heart and blood vessel complications in one to two percent of fatal cases.
• Viets, Texans Shrimping Peacefully for Now, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Vietnamese and native Texan fishermen have been peacefully coexisting since the summer shrimping season opened, following a court order against Ku Klux Klan harassment of refugee fishermen. Texas Attorney General Mark White filed a motion to shut down KKK training camps, marking the first state attempt to close such camps.

Incarceration & Redress

• Grand Tule Lake Reunion Planned for 1982, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Former residents of the wartime Tule Lake Camp will hold their first reunion in Sacramento over the May 28-31 weekend in 1982. A major banquet is scheduled for Saturday, May 29, according to the nucleus committee.
• Preparations for Testifying Before the Commission (CWRIC), by P.C. Staff, page 2. The article outlines steps for Japanese Americans preparing to testify before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, including developing written statements and submitting advance copies to JACL. It also describes various hearing formats the Commission may use, including congressional committee procedure, seminar structure, and town hall format.
• More Witnesses Sought for L.A., S.F. Hearings, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The JACL National Committee for Redress is requesting more witnesses to testify before the CWRIC at upcoming Los Angeles and San Francisco hearings. With the West Coast hearing sites now set, organizers emphasize the importance of gathering as many written and oral testimonies as possible.
• Redress Fund Acknowledgement Corrections Noted, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Clifford Uyeda noted omissions in the last JACL acknowledgement of funds raised toward the National Redress Committee fund. Specific chapter contributions were listed, including Portland, Puyallup Valley, White River Valley, San Francisco, Reno, and Salinas Valley.

Community

• Pet Bill Seen as Anti-Asian by JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL National Director Ron Wakabayashi expressed opposition to California S.B. 49, which would criminalize killing domesticated pets for consumption, citing potential negative impact on Asians, especially Indochinese refugees. He warned the bill could fuel public assumptions leading to racially motivated violence against Asians.
• Torrance/Gardena Housing Still Faces Opposition, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute’s senior citizen housing project faces continued opposition from local residents who filed a Los Angeles Superior Court suit after the Torrance City Council approved the project. JCI executive director William Hiroto believes some opposition is racially motivated, though protestors deny this.
• Class of ’81, by Peter Imamura, page 3. A column addressed to graduating students discusses the challenges and opportunities facing Asian American youth, citing examples like Michael Woo’s city council race defeat and Carole Fujita’s discrimination battle. The author urges young people entering new chapters of their lives to remain proud of their identity and aware of community issues.
• Fujita Luncheon Raises $7,000, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A benefit chow mein luncheon for Carole Fujita drew more than 500 attendees in Gardena, raising an estimated $7,000 to help cover legal costs from her successful discrimination suit against LA County. Fujita won her promotion bid after an 18-month battle when the County Civil Service Commission ruled she had been a victim of racial and sex discrimination.
• Yasui, Baker on TV to Debate Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Minoru Yasui, JACL National Redress Committee chair, and Lillian Baker are scheduled to debate redress and the WWII internment decision on KNXT’s ‘2 With You’ program on June 28, as part of First Amendment Month programming.
• Hoff General Hospital Reunion Sought, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Organizers are seeking the whereabouts of several Nisei GIs stationed prewar at Hoff General Hospital in Santa Barbara for an upcoming reunion. Interested parties were asked to contact Mas Okumura or Bill Inouye.
• W. Sacramento Reunion Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pre-Evacuation residents of the Broderick and West Sacramento areas are planning a reunion at Landpark South Restaurant. A registration fee of $20 per person must be submitted by August 5, with Issei attendees honored as guests.
• Salinas School Board Seats Vacant, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Salinas Valley JACL hopes a member will run for one of three vacancies on the local Alisal Elementary School District board, with elections scheduled for November. JACL has also requested representation on the advisory board of local radio station KUBO.
• Sonoma County ‘Chaya’ Set July 27-Aug. 28, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Sonoma County JACL’s ‘Chaya’ concession at the Sonoma County Fair is being chaired by Fred Yokoyama, running from July 27 to August 28. The chapter is also supporting a district fundraiser in San Francisco for redress.
• L.A. Gardeners Luncheon, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Los Angeles Southwest Gardeners Association will hold its Shimoboku Kai potluck luncheon on Sunday, July 19 at its headquarters on West Jefferson Blvd.
• Gardena Housing Groundbreaking Set Despite Opposition, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JCI executive director William Hiroto plans to hold groundbreaking ceremonies for the senior housing project on June 28 despite ongoing opposition, concluding that racism underlies some resident objections. Hiroto hopes protestors’ presence will generate sympathetic press coverage, questioning how anyone could object to senior citizen housing.

Commentary

• Why So Many Evacuees Excused Evacuation, by Amy Iwasaki Mass, page 1. A clinical social worker and former internee explores the psychological effects of WWII internment, examining why many Japanese Americans rationalized and denied the injustice of their incarceration. She discusses defense mechanisms like repression and denial used to cope with betrayal by the government they trusted.
• Joy & Woe, by Harry Honda, page 4. The editor reflects on a month of personal joy, including his daughter’s high school graduation and a family wedding connecting him to a JACL pioneer family with roots going back to the first Japanese Embassy to Washington in 1860. He also notes the disappointment of the cancelled National JACL Youth Conference due to low registration.
• Monku, But…, by Henry Sakai, page 4. The JACL board member addresses misconceptions about declining JACL membership, noting the organization is at 77.67% of last year’s figures with months remaining. He discusses JACL’s budget challenges and efforts to seek additional income through fundraising, wills, and trusts beyond membership dues.
• Passin’s Japanese and the Japanese, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. The columnist reviews Herbert Passin’s book on the Japanese language, highlighting how foreign loanwords have proliferated in Japanese due to fascination with the West. The book explores creative word combinations, euphemisms, and the nuanced ways Japanese speakers express refusal or disagreement.
• The Great Nikkei Novel, by Bill Marutani, page 5. The columnist muses about the yet-unwritten great novel capturing the WWII Japanese American internment experience with objectivity and human depth. He reflects on what makes compelling literature, citing examples from Margaret Mitchell to Xenophon, and hopes a Nikkei novelist will someday produce this definitive work.
• Inner and Outer Meanings, by Grayce Uyehara, page 5. The Philadelphia JACL writer argues that redress is a moral obligation (‘giri’) for Japanese Americans to address historical injustice, building on the legacy established by the Issei. She calls for community engagement as CWRIC hearings approach, acknowledging potential backlash tied to U.S.-Japan trade tensions.

JACL

• CCDC Recognizes Scholars, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Multiple JACL chapters including Chicago, Fremont, San Gabriel Valley, Placer County, and West Valley announced scholarship recipients for 1981 graduating high school seniors. The scholars were honored for academic achievement and plans to pursue degrees in fields including engineering, medicine, and business.

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