Vol. 101, No. 3, July 19, 1985. 8 pages. View this issue
The front page carried JACL’s endorsement of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1985, announced at a Washington rally on July 2, the 21st anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. G. Tim Gojio presented JACL’s statement. Redress ran through the rest of the issue: Frank Abe reported on Kenji Ito, a Seattle attorney named during the Hirabayashi coram nobis trial, and National President Frank Sato urged members to support the redress campaign financially. A letter from the LEC Fund Drive chair reported $22,000 raised in one month toward an August goal of $66,000.
The commentary pages include Bill Hosokawa on covering the Korean War, Bill Marutani on farm work in his youth, Violet de Cristoforo on a trip through South America, and Bob Shimabukuro on editing the paper. Elsewhere are AAJA scholarship winners, the Placer County JACL scholarships, and a call for nominations to three at-large Board of Directors seats.
What’s in this issue
National
- JACL Supports New Congressional Civil Rights Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL endorsed the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1985 at a Washington rally marking the 21st anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, responding to the 1984 Grove City College Supreme Court decision. JACL Washington representative G. Tim Gojio presented a statement arguing federal funds should not finance discrimination at any level.
Incarceration & Redress
- WW2 Accusation Still Haunts Nisei Attorney, by Frank Abe, page 1. Former Seattle attorney Kenji Ito was named during the Hirabayashi coram nobis trial as having allegedly been recruited by Japan as an intelligence source before Pearl Harbor, a charge he denies. Ito, who was acquitted of a related espionage charge in 1943, says the episode has made him newly supportive of redress.
- Your Support Is Crucial, by Frank Sato, page 2. JACL National President Frank Sato’s President’s Corner column outlines the Commission on Wartime Relocation recommendations, including a formal apology, pardons, and $20,000 payments to surviving internees. He urges JACL members and all Japanese Americans to overcome apathy and generational distance to support the redress campaign financially.
JACL
- Board Nominations Sought by LEC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Legislative Education Committee announced three at-large Board of Directors positions open for nomination, with LEC Chair Minoru Yasui overseeing the process. Nominations are due by August 31 to Nominations Chair Cherry Kinoshita in Seattle.
- Placer County Awards 4 Scholarships, by Roy Yoshida, page 8. Placer County JACL and California First Bank of Roseville awarded scholarships to four local students: Karen Kiyo Alman, Tatsuo Dan Morimoto, Dorothy Kiyomi Hirota, and James Dean Takahashi. Okei Memorial Achievement Awards were also presented to two Gold Trail Elementary School graduates at the chapter’s scholarship dinner.
Community
- Fundraising for Kimura Continues, by Katie Kaori Hayashi, page 3. The Fumiko Kimura Fair Trial Committee continues raising funds and gathering clemency petitions for Kimura, a Japanese national charged with murder after an attempted parent-child suicide. A June 23 fundraiser in San Fernando Valley featuring folk songs and dances raised more than $3,000 for her defense.
- AAJA Scholarships Awarded, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian American Journalists Association awarded $12,800 in scholarships to 11 aspiring journalists at a Los Angeles Times Mirror Building reception. Winners included Joann Gekko, who received two separate scholarships, along with students from USC, UCLA, Northwestern and other universities.
- Tokuda Receives Media Award, by P.C. Staff, page 7. KPIX news anchor Wendy Tokuda received Westinghouse Electric’s Minority Communications Award of Excellence for her commitment to minority community service and youth mentorship. Tokuda, a Seattle native and University of Washington graduate, has also won journalism awards for her series on drunk driving and work in Japan.
- Sacramento Seeks Harassment Data, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Sacramento city and county Human Rights/Fair Housing Commission began collecting data on harassment incidents against minorities as of May 1. Individuals who experience harassment based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or age are encouraged to contact the commission.
Commentary
- One Thing Leads to Another, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 3. The columnist recounts a failed job interview over his lack of formal ‘crisis management’ experience and humorously concludes that editing the Pacific Citizen, amid heat waves and equipment breakdowns, is the ultimate crisis management job. He reflects wryly on the daily chaos of putting out the paper.
- Hyakusho, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani reflects on the meaning of the Japanese word for farmer/peasant and recalls his youth doing hard labor on Issei farms in Washington State. He connects these childhood memories to his present-day enjoyment of tending his own vegetable garden.
- Remembrances of Brazil, by Violet de Cristoforo, page 4. De Cristoforo recounts a 1983 post-PANA convention trip to Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires with a group of Japanese American travelers, describing fine Japanese restaurants, jewelry shopping and visits with local Nikkei including the Tisaka family. She previews the 1985 PANA III Convention to be held in Sao Paulo.
- Funds Still Needed, page 4. A letter from the LEC Fund Drive chair thanks donors who helped raise $22,000 for the Concerned Americans Redress Pursuit (CARP) campaign in one month. The writer urges more JACLers, including Sansei and Yonsei, to become prime solicitors and donate toward the $66,000 August goal.
- More Money, More Members, by Henry S. Sakai, page 5. Former JACL national treasurer Henry Sakai criticizes declining JACL membership and weak fundraising efforts, including the poorly implemented Mike Masaoka Fellows Fund. He calls for better planning, follow-through, and membership recruitment at the national level to avoid budget shortfalls.
Military & Veterans
- War Was Hell, and Still Is, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reminisces about covering the Korean War as his newspaper’s first war correspondent 35 years earlier, describing the devastation, casualties, and encounters with Nisei interpreters from the 442nd. He reflects on how the horrors of Korea and later Vietnam shaped his hopes that his children and grandchildren would never have to experience war.
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