Vol. 103, No. 3, July 18, 1986. 8 pages. View this issue
The front page carried a June 24 panel at KCET-TV in Los Angeles, where Korean and Black community members discussed tensions after the murders of four Korean merchants. J.K. Yamamoto reported on panelists including Jarrette Fellows and K.W. Lee, who blamed media coverage and economics rather than race. Redress ran through the issue: a $80,000 fundraiser in San Francisco for the JACL-LEC campaign, lobbying updates on H.R. 442, and Seattle Nisei giving $13,850 from school district compensation to the redress effort.
Also in this issue: the JACL National Convention in Chicago, with historian Roger Daniels as keynote speaker, a women’s workshop and district preparations. Further pages cover the California ‘English Only’ initiative, Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action, the Fresno premiere of ‘Yankee Samurai’ for the 442nd, and letters on the JACL Endowment Fund and the national presidency race.
What’s in this issue
National
- Blacks, Koreans Assess Relations, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. At a KCET-TV panel discussion on June 24 in Los Angeles, Korean and Black community representatives discussed tensions following the murders of four Korean merchants, with many panelists blaming media sensationalism and economic factors rather than racial motivation. Panelists including Jarrette Fellows, K.W. Lee, Larry Aubry, and Tong Soo Chung discussed stereotypes, language barriers, and suggested joint business ventures and better communication as solutions.
- Bills Introduced to Stop Relocation, page 1. Two bills in Congress, introduced by Rep. Bill Richardson and Sen. Alan Cranston, seek to temporarily halt the forced relocation of Navajos from their Arizona homes under Public Law 93-531. The law, intended to settle a land dispute with the Hopi, is criticized by opponents as fabricated to benefit energy companies seeking mineral rights.
- Coalition to Fight English Initiative, page 1. A coalition of civil rights groups including ACLU, MALDEF, and JACL has vowed to fight the ‘English Only’ initiative that qualified for California’s November ballot, calling it divisive and rooted in anti-immigrant sentiment. JACL national director Ron Wakabayashi and others argued the measure could eliminate bilingual government services and threaten cultural heritage programs.
- Chinese American Participation in Politics Main Issue at OCA’s National Convention, page 1. At the Organization of Chinese Americans’ national convention in New York, Delaware Lt. Gov. Shien Biau Woo urged Chinese Americans to become more politically active, noting the community’s lack of registered voters and political representation. The convention also featured awards to prominent Chinese Americans and remarks from NY Gov. Mario Cuomo and Mayor Ed Koch.
JACL
- Author Daniels to Keynote at Dinner, page 1. Historian Roger Daniels, author of books on Japanese American internment and exclusion, will keynote the July 21 Kickoff Dinner at the JACL National Convention in Chicago. Daniels also served as a consultant to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians.
- District Prepares for Convention, page 6. Delegates representing 25 chapters of the No. Calif-W. Nev-Pacific District Council met June 29 to prepare for the National JACL Convention in Chicago, endorsing Judy Niizawa’s nomination for VP of 1000 Club. The meeting included a workshop led by past National Presidents and other JACL leaders to prepare delegates for convention business.
- JACL Women’s Workshops Set, page 6. The National JACL Women’s Concerns Committee will sponsor two events at the National Convention, including a workshop on communication strategies led by Dr. Joanne Yamauchi and a luncheon featuring candidates for National JACL office. The WCC, established in 1982, aims to encourage women’s leadership and address issues of concern to Japanese American women within JACL.
Community
- Farmer Takes Own Life After Losing to City in Land Dispute, page 2. Masao Fujishige, a 61-year-old strawberry farmer in Anaheim, apparently killed himself after the city condemned part of his land for a hotel-office-condominium development project. Family members cited his failing health and despondency over the legal battle, while his brother Hiroshi defended the city council from blame.
- LEC Fundraiser Nets $80,000, page 3. A June 13 fundraiser organized by Americans for Fairness in San Francisco, chaired by Cressey Nakagawa, raised an estimated $80,000 for the JACL-LEC redress campaign, with nearly half from non-Nikkei donors. Major corporate sponsors included Ernest and Julio Gallo Winery, AT&T, PG&E, Chevron USA, Koret Foundation, and Kikkoman International.
- Chapter to Screen Films from Japan, page 3. Placer County JACL will host its annual benefit movie night on July 26 at Placer Buddhist Church, screening the Japanese films ‘Ya Sha’ and ‘Nawabari Arashi’ with English subtitles. The event is organized by special activities chair Hugo Nishimoto.
- Black-Korean Relations: Positive Action Suggested, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 8. This continuation of the front-page article details further panel discussion on Black-Korean relations, including suggestions for joint business ventures and orientation programs for Korean merchants. Panelists also discussed the lack of English-speaking Korean spokespersons and criticized media coverage for failing to highlight positive community interactions.
Military & Veterans
- Fresno Debut of ‘Yankee Samurai’ Draws Record Crowd, page 3. About 2,000 people attended the Fresno premiere of the documentary ‘Yankee Samurai’ on May 29, raising over $30,000 for a Japanese American exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Bicentennial of the Constitution observance. Speakers included Army Presidio Museum curator Erie Saul, 442nd veteran Shig Doi, and Robert Links, who discussed the liberation of Dachau by Japanese American soldiers.
Commentary
- Who Should Pay?, page 4. This editorial examines recent Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action, including Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education and Firefighters v. City of Cleveland, which permit preferential hiring but not layoffs based on race. It argues that while civil rights leaders are encouraged by these rulings, future cases before the Court could further clarify the limits of remedial action for discrimination.
- Yesterday and Today, page 4. The columnist reflects on tending a vegetable garden with Japanese vegetables, recalling his youth doing farm labor in White River Valley, Washington, and finding ironic pleasure in now voluntarily doing similar work. He also recounts the generosity of an Issei couple, the Haras, who shared plants and gardening wisdom that influence his gardening methods today.
- Close Encounters of Congressional Kind, page 4. This LEC Update column previews the JACL-LEC Redress Workshop at the National Convention, which will focus on coalition-building and grassroots lobbying for H.R. 442 and S. 1053, featuring keynote speaker Ralph Neas and a panel including Minoru Yasui and William Marutani. The piece also details specific individual assignments made to lobby members of the House Judiciary Committee.
- Doing Your Homework, page 5. The columnist describes advising a Sansei woman seeking a Japan-related career that lacking Japanese language skills and cultural knowledge puts her at a disadvantage compared to Caucasian Americans who have studied Japan extensively. He notes that Japanese employers may hold Japanese Americans to higher standards and that cultural understanding is as important as language skills.
- Letter: North and South (LEC Fund Drive Figures), by Mollie T. Fujioka, page 5. NCWNP Governor Mollie Fujioka responds to a prior report suggesting her district underperformed in the LEC fund drive, providing additional figures showing NCWNP chapters contributed $69,515 toward redress pledges during the same period. She highlights the success of the June 13 Americans for Fairness dinner and calls for broader community involvement in fundraising.
- Letter: Endowment Fund Issue, by Roy Nishikawa, page 8. Roy Nishikawa responds to concerns raised by Thomas Hara and Homer Yasui regarding the use of JACL’s Endowment Fund principal, stating that Legal Counsel’s opinion was not obtained and defending the validity of a prior memorandum on fund usage. He argues that proper constitutional procedures, including chapter votes, should determine any use of the fund’s principal.
- Letter: PSW Endorsement, by B.J. Watanabe, page 8. B.J. Watanabe of the Ochi for President Committee disputes claims that Harry Kajihara is the PSW-endorsed candidate for National JACL president, noting that two chapters abstained and eight failed to return ballots in the disputed vote. The letter argues that with two new chapters established since the vote, the preferences of 12 chapters have not been properly considered.
Incarceration & Redress
- LEC Update: North and South, page 5. This update continues coverage of redress lobbying efforts, detailing a letter-writing event held by Selanoco JACL with 20 participants and a meeting between San Diego JACL members and Rep. Bill Lowery regarding H.R. 442. It also includes a detailed financial report on JACL-LEC fund drive receipts and disbursements for the first fiscal year.
- Nisei Compensated by Seattle School District Contribute to Redress Campaign, page 6. Twenty former Seattle School District employees who received $5,000 compensation checks for being wrongfully terminated during WW2 due to their Japanese ancestry donated a total of $13,850 to JACL and the Washington Coalition on Redress. The donations recognized the efforts of the Seattle JACL Redress Committee, WCR, and local leaders including Mako Nakagawa and Cherry Kinoshita in securing the compensation legislation.
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