JACL’s long-range goals, and a Voting Rights Act push

Vol. 94, No. 4, January 29, 1982. 12 pages. View this issue

The front page carried an opinion piece by John J. Tani and James A. Isono on a JACL in transition, as Sansei replaced Nisei in the 20 to 40 age group. They argued that the organization should set its goals first, then let priorities, finances and structure follow. Also on page one: the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, of which JACL is a founding member, planned a one-day lobbying effort on Feb. 23 for Senate passage of the Voting Rights Act extension. Ron Wakabayashi’s column recalled that Executive Order 9066 was signed just 20 days after FDR’s birthday.

Other pages cover a redress financial report from John Tateishi, Harry Honda’s column on Min Yasui and the curfew case, and a memorial planned at the Amache camp site. There are also chapter installation dinners, a Little Tokyo sculpture dedication, and notes on Hiroshima’s Grammy nomination and ballerina Yoko Ichino.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• JACL’s Top Priority: Goal Setting, by John J. Tani & James A. Isono, page 1. The authors argue that JACL is in a critical transitional period as Sansei replace Nisei in leadership, requiring the organization to first define its goals before tackling structure, budget priorities, and financing. They propose a framework showing goals should drive priorities, which drive finances, which drive structure, urging commitment to long-range planning.
• ‘…Tis Not Too Late to Seek a Newer World’, by Harry Honda, page 4. Honda recounts Min Yasui’s wartime challenge to the curfew order targeting Japanese Americans, including his deliberate arrest, solitary confinement, and the Supreme Court’s eventual ruling. The column connects Yasui’s ongoing fight for justice to the current redress movement and the need for continued action including a coram nobis legal strategy.
• More: New York CJA, by Michi Kobi, page 4. Michi Kobi clarifies and expands on her role as co-chair of the East Coast Japanese Americans for Redress (ECJAR), detailing the extensive coalition-building effort that led to a CWRIC hearing being added in New York. She credits numerous individuals and organizations for the campaign that secured the Nov. 23, 1981 hearing date.
• 1000 Club, by Akira Ohno, page 4. A letter writer laments the 30% drop in 1000 Club membership following the death of George Inagaki and the removal of the 1000 Club chairman position from the National Board. The writer urges JACL members to push for a resolution restoring the 1000 Club chairman seat on the National Board before the next convention.
• International Relations Committee Report: Time to Consider JACL’s Next Priority, by Chuck Kubokawa, page 5. Kubokawa reports on the Pan American Nisei Conference held in Mexico City, where Japanese officials Senator Isurugi and Kazuo Ito initially suggested Nikkei should be subservient to Japan, drawing strong pushback from Latin American Nikkei. The piece also discusses debates over whether Sansei children should learn Japanese versus Spanish given practical career considerations.
• Females, Fours and Salt, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani reflects on cultural superstitions, including the Japanese association of the number four with death and its connection to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s designation causing Issei consternation. He discusses various superstitions across cultures while noting his own skepticism, preferring to define luck as being prepared when opportunity knocks.
• More Than Coincidence, page 6. The columnist describes a recent increase in incidents of racism against Nikkei, including police mistreatment, offensive bumper stickers and license plates, and questionable disciplinary action against a Los Angeles County compliance officer. The piece suggests these incidents may represent a troubling pattern rather than mere coincidence.
• FDR’s ‘Raw’ Deal, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 7. JACL National Director Ron Wakabayashi criticizes the celebration of FDR’s 100th birthday, noting that just 20 days after his birthday FDR signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing Japanese American incarceration. He argues the order wrongly treated an entire ethnic community as suspects of treason and calls the episode a ‘raw deal’ rather than part of the New Deal.
• Letters: Immigration Issue, by Ted T. Itami, page 7. A reader responds to Sheridan Tatsuno’s earlier PC article criticizing Reagan administration immigration policy, arguing that America cannot accommodate unlimited immigration and supporting the President’s stance. The writer contends Tatsuno identifies more with illegal immigrants than with Japanese Americans.
• Letters: Out in the Streets, by Kazuko (Kay) Ige, page 7. A reader corrects a previous PC article’s account of her family’s wartime experience, clarifying that when the FBI took her father away, five siblings were left without parents or a home, not simply moved in with relatives easily. She describes the desperate search for help from neighbors and friends before relatives from Los Angeles eventually retrieved them.
• Konnyaku (Part II—Concluding Column), by Jin Konomi, page 10. Konomi continues his exploration of konnyaku, a tasteless but texturally unique Japanese food made from the devil’s tongue plant, describing its preparation and culinary uses in dishes like oden and sukiyaki. He reflects on childhood memories of watching konnyaku being made and the food’s debated nutritional properties.

National

• LCCR Seeks Passage of Voting Rights Act, page 1. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, of which JACL is a founding member, plans a one-day lobbying effort on Feb. 23 to push for Senate passage of the Voting Rights Act extension bill S 1992. The bill would permanently extend pre-clearance provisions, continue bilingual election requirements until 1992, and establish a discriminatory-results standard of proof in voting rights cases.
• L.A. Supervisors Chide Noguchi for ‘Sensationalism’ in His Cases, page 1. Los Angeles County Coroner Thomas Noguchi was formally reprimanded by the Board of Supervisors for making sensational public comments about the deaths of actors William Holden and Natalie Wood. Supervisor Mike Antonovich said Noguchi should stick to facts rather than speculating about victims’ final thoughts.
• Japan Eases Ban of Untreated U.S. Farm Products, page 2. U.S. and Japanese agricultural officials reached a temporary agreement allowing California growers to ship untreated lemons to Japan, easing restrictions imposed due to Mediterranean fruit fly quarantines. Despite the accord, California growers and state legislators considered a boycott of Japanese goods, citing estimated $16 million in November losses from the import ban.
• Nisei Jeweler Fined for Tax Evasion, page 2. Santa Ana jeweler Masao Uyesugi was ordered to pay $15,000 in fines and perform 1,000 hours of community service after being convicted of income tax evasion. He had failed to report $179,000 in taxable income in the mid-1970s.
• Wounded Tourist Is Flown Back to Japan in Unconscious State, page 3. Kazumi Miura, a Japanese tourist critically wounded in a Los Angeles robbery in November, was flown back to Japan still unconscious after bullet fragments could not be fully removed from her brain. Her husband Kazuyoshi, also wounded in the attack, plans to sue the U.S. government for damages and offer a reward for information on the assailants.
• Police Wound JA Man in Car Chase, page 3. George Masaru Teraoka, 42, was shot by police after leading them on a 45-minute, 50-mile high speed chase through four cities in Riverside County. He was booked on four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of attempted murder after surrendering.
• Mineta Is a ‘Mystery Man’ to White House Staffers, page 10. Rep. Norman Mineta’s office received a White House Christmas reception photo mistakenly depicting Sen. Spark Matsunaga, continuing a pattern of confusion dating back to the Carter administration. Mineta’s office found the mix-up amusing rather than offensive.
• Hawaii’s Ariyoshi May Face an ‘Anti-Third Term’ Campaign, page 10. Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi, preparing to run for a third term, may face challenges from Republican D.G. Anderson and former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi running as an independent, with opponents likely pushing a ‘time for a change’ theme. A recent poll showed 56% approval of his job performance, with strongest support among Japanese ancestry voters and Democrats.

Community

• Log-Metal Sculpture in Memory of Issei Pioneer Takei Installed, page 1. A major sculptural work by artist Woods Davy was installed in the garden of Little Tokyo Towers Senior Citizens Residence in memory of Issei pioneer Takekuma Takei. The nine-foot sculpture was donated by the Takei family as part of a campaign to place fine art in Little Tokyo’s public spaces, with formal dedication set for Jan. 29.
• L.A. Nikkei Phone Book Published, page 2. A new 500-page Southern California Japanese Telephone Directory & Guide in Japanese and English became available free starting Jan. 29 at multiple distribution points. The directory is published by Japan Publicity and available at various Little Tokyo and Southern California locations.
• Windmills of America, by Carl Hayden, page 2. Fred Ochi, an Idaho Falls JACLer and watercolor artist known as ‘The Smiling Irishman,’ has built a reputation painting windmills throughout the Intermountain states. The profile describes his artistic process and philosophy about windmills’ historical importance to settling the American West.
• Women Writers to Speak on Internment, page 3. A group of Asian American women writers including Wakako Yamauchi, Momoko Iko, and Miya Iwataki will present an evening of poetry, prose and music on the Japanese American internment experience titled ‘Omoide’ at the Ken Nakaoka Memorial Center. The Feb. 5 program commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 and is sponsored by the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations.
• Groundbreaking Held for New Cal First Bank in Li’l Tokyo, page 3. Ceremonies were held to begin construction of the $11 million California First Bank building in Little Tokyo, with Mayor Tom Bradley and other dignitaries attending. The three-phase project will result in a five-story office structure with underground levels, completing by 1984.
• Koi Show Slated in Gardena Feb. 6, 7, page 3. The Ninth Annual U.S. District Zen Nippon Airinkai Koi Show will be held at the Gardena Civic Center the weekend of Feb. 6-7. The juried exhibit will feature koi in all varieties.
• Fukai May Vie for Mayor of Gardena, page 3. Gardena Mayor Ed Russ announced he will not seek reelection, prompting councilmen Mas Fukai and Chuck Nader to consider running for the vacant seat in the April elections. Fukai is chief deputy for Los Angeles Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.
• Las Vegas JACLer Wins B&PW Honor, page 3. Masae Nomura, a member of the Las Vegas JACL and owner of M’s Florist in Montebello, was named ‘Woman of Achievement—1981’ by the Montebello Business and Professional Women’s Club. Nomura has spent 50 years in the floral business after her family moved to Montebello in 1925.
• San Jose Dinner, page 6. Dr. Harry Kitano, UCLA sociology professor, will discuss ‘The Changing Japanese American Family’ at the San Jose JACL installation dinner-dance on Feb. 13 at the Le Baron Hotel. Reservations can be made through several chapter contacts.
• West Valley to Install ’82 Officers, page 6. The West Valley JACL will install its 1982 officers and directors on Jan. 30 at Lou’s Village in San Jose, featuring guest speaker Prof. Benjamin Hazard Jr. of San Jose State University who was involved in the U.S. occupation of Japan after WWII. Dancing to a live band follows the dinner program.
• Kubokawa to Speak at Marysville Fete, page 6. Marysville JACL will hold its annual Installation Banquet at the Peach Tree Country Club on Jan. 30, featuring NASA scientist and JACL International Relations Committee chair Chuck Kubokawa as speaker.
• Contra Costa JACL to Hear CARP Speaker, page 6. The Contra Costa JACL’s Caring Aging Retirement Program will feature Phyllis Ogata speaking on the ‘Channing Way House’ on Jan. 29 at the East Bay Free Methodist Church in El Cerrito.
• Seattle Chinatown Documentary About Ready for Filming, page 7. A Seattle film company is preparing to shoot ‘East of Occidental,’ a documentary on the International District capturing the unique spirit of unity among its Chinese, Japanese and Filipino residents. The $63,000 project received a $20,000 grant from the Washington State Commission for the Humanities and aims for completion by October.
• West L.A. Shinnen Kai on Tap Jan. 31, page 7. The annual West L.A. JACL Shinnen Kai honoring Issei and senior Nisei will be held Jan. 31 at the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle, featuring entertainer Masami Saito’s ‘Symphony of Silk’ magic show. A potluck lunch will be served with a $3 donation accepted from those without a dish to share.
• Cherry Blossom Queen Candidates Sought, page 7. Applications are being accepted from young women throughout Northern California for the 1982 Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Contest to be held April 17 in San Francisco. Deadline for applications is March 12.
• Educators to Meet at Seattle Apr. 22-24, page 7. The fourth national Asian/Pacific American Education Conference will be held in Seattle focusing on economics, politics, business and trade to prepare Asian/Pacific American communities for the 21st Century. The event will include 56 workshops and various cultural and social activities.
• Mitchell Addresses Lake Washington, page 7. Lake Washington JACL celebrated its second anniversary with an installation banquet where Sen. Hugh Mitchell of the CWRIC stated the Commission’s requested one-year extension would almost certainly be approved. John Matsumoto was reelected chapter president during the event.
• UCLA Law School Admission Plan Eyed, page 11. Marina JACL will sponsor a panel discussion on the Asian American special admissions program under review at UCLA School of Law, with the faculty voting Feb. 5 on whether to retain it. Deputy public defender Fred Fujioka noted that at least half of all Nikkei lawyers admitted to the bar since 1975 went through special admissions.

JACL

• EDC Elects Maebori Governor, by Grayce Uyehara, page 1. Teresa Maebori, a Philadelphia schoolteacher, was elected governor of the Eastern District Council, succeeding Cherry Tsutsumida. The EDC convention also reviewed National Board finances showing a surplus and discussed the future of the Washington JACL representative position.

Incarceration & Redress

• ’81 Financial Report, by John Tateishi, page 2. The JACL National Committee for Redress released its 1981 financial report showing expenditures of $125,960 for salaries, travel, meetings and CWRIC-related expenses. Contributions from JACL districts to the National Committee for Redress totaled $133,512.75 between October 1980 and January 1982.
• Amache GI Memorial Dedication Planned, page 11. A memorial will be dedicated at the old Amache camp site next summer, either in July or September, according to fund drive chairman Arthur Iwasaki. Contributions are being collected through Nobuo Furuiye in Denver.

Obituaries

• Yvonne: A Lass from Southern France, page 5. Yvonne Kumagai, an Italian war bride from France who married Nisei officer Ben T. Kumagai in 1946, died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver while checking her stalled car on a snowy night in Denver. She was remembered for her warmth and active involvement in the Nisei community, drawing a large gathering of friends across generations and backgrounds to her funeral.

Arts & Entertainment

• Tokeshi, Senzaki Silk Screen Show Set, page 10. An exhibit of silkscreen prints and drawings titled ‘Progressions: Uniting Art, Politics and Community’ by Richard Tokeshi and Wes Senzaki will be displayed at the Chinatown Neighborhood Arts Gallery in San Francisco from Feb. 13 to Mar. 27.
• Sansei Finds Every Ballet Challenging, by Welly T. Shibata, Mainichi Daily News, page 12. Yoko Ichino, a Sansei ballerina with the American Ballet Theater who became the first American to win a medal at the Moscow Ballet Competition, discusses her career and experiences dancing with Rudolf Nureyev. She was visiting Japan to perform with the Tokyo Ballet Company’s production of ‘The Nutcracker’ alongside Peter Schaufuss.
• Hiroshima Jazz Group Nominated for Grammy, page 12. The Asian American jazz-rock band Hiroshima was nominated for a 1981 Grammy award for its recording ‘Winds of Change’ in the best rhythm and blues instrumental category. The awards were scheduled to be presented Feb. 24.

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