Opposition to English-only measure, plus the JACL convention

Vol. 103, No. 7, August 15, 1986. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page carried the Los Angeles City Council’s vote to oppose Proposition 63, the initiative that would make English the official language of California. Councilman Richard Alatorre called it unnecessary and divisive, and the ACLU of Southern California announced its own opposition. Nearby stories covered bilingual Korean street signs in a Philadelphia neighborhood, the redress bill H.R. 442, which gained Rep. John Porter as its 19th Republican co-sponsor, and an AARP report on Asian Pacific American elderly.

Pages 6 and 7 reported on the JACL national convention, including Roger Daniels on a “new nativism” toward immigrants and Rep. Jim Wright at the Sayonara Banquet. Commentary came from Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani, Grayce Uyehara and James Oda, whose piece mentions Manzanar. Clayton Fong profiled three Japanese American judges on page 2.

What’s in this issue

National

• City Council, ACLU express opposition to English measure, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles City Council voted to oppose Proposition 63, which would make English the official language of California, with Councilman Alatorre calling it unnecessary and divisive. The ACLU of Southern California also announced its opposition, warning the measure could be used to cut off publicly funded multilingual programs.
• Figures Released on Asian Elderly, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A new AARP publication, ‘Portrait of Older Minorities,’ presents statistics on health, income, education and living arrangements among Asian Pacific American elderly. The report finds the AP elderly population has grown rapidly, with unique characteristics such as more elderly men than women and higher labor force participation than other groups.
• Congress Passes Bill Intended to Increase Access to Japanese Technical Know-How, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta praised Senate passage of his bill to increase translation and accessibility of Japanese technical and scientific literature to U.S. government, research, and private sectors. The bill directs the Department of Commerce to monitor Japanese developments and coordinate translation efforts.

Community

• Signs in Korean Spark Backlash, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Residents of Olney, a Philadelphia neighborhood, voted overwhelmingly to force removal of bilingual Korean street signs, and vandals defaced 25 signs before community leaders could act. Korean leader Jin H. Yu acknowledged mistakes in not consulting the neighborhood, while some residents defended the Koreans’ right to put up the signs amid accusations of underlying racial tension.
• Seattle School Superintendent Reneged on Promise to Hire Asian, Coalition Says, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A coalition of Asian community leaders in Seattle accused new School Superintendent William Kendrick of breaking a promise to appoint an Asian to a top policy-making post after he filled positions with Black and white candidates. Leaders presented Kendrick with eight demands including equitable Asian representation at all district levels.
• Role of Go For Broke in Smithsonian’s Japanese American Exhibit Discussed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National Japanese American Historical Society met with Bay Area community members to discuss its role in planning the Smithsonian Institution’s upcoming exhibit on Japanese Americans, set to open October 1987. Concerns were raised about whether the exhibit would overemphasize military history at the expense of the broader incarceration experience.
• Pageant Honors Astronaut, Writer, by from a report by Rafu Shimpo, page 3. Amanda Watase of Torrance was crowned queen at the Miss Nikkei California Pageant, while the late astronaut Ellison Onizuka was posthumously honored with the Fred Ishimoto Outstanding American Award, accepted by his wife Lorna. David Mas Masumoto won the American Japanese National Literary Award for his short story ‘Western Temple.’
• Kakishiba Runs for School Board, by P.C. Staff, page 8. David Kakishiba, executive director of the Berkeley Asian Youth Center, was nominated by the Berkeley Citizens Action coalition as its first Asian American candidate for the School Board. He emphasized increasing parent and teacher input and improving academic achievement for Third World students.
• New Blue Shield Plan Offered, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The JACL-Blue Shield of California Group Health Plan announced it will now enroll new subscribers aged 65 and over starting October 1, provided they are JACL members with both Medicare A and B coverage. Pre-existing conditions will be covered six months after the effective date.

Incarceration & Redress

• Chicago-Area Republican Persuaded to Support House Redress Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. John Porter of Illinois became the 19th Republican co-sponsor of redress bill H.R. 442 after a grassroots lobbying effort by Chicago JACL members including Dr. Frank Sakamoto and Harvey and Mari Aki. Campaign finance committee member Barrett Crawford persuaded Porter to support the bill despite earlier objections to compensation payments.
• Aging Report Continued: Figures on Asian Elderly, by P.C. Staff, page 8. This continuation of the AARP report details living arrangements, education, employment, income, poverty status, and health concerns among Asian Pacific American elderly compared to white elderly. It highlights disparities such as lower formal education but higher labor force participation among AP elderly.

In-Depth

• A Profile of Three Judges, by Clayton Fong, page 2. Governor George Deukmejian has appointed three Japanese American judges to the California bench: Cary Nishimoto in Los Angeles, Nathan Mihara in Santa Clara, and an unnamed third judge in the Los Angeles Judicial District. The article profiles their backgrounds, legal careers, and families.
• Oral History of JA Farmer Published, by P.C. Staff, page 3. UC Santa Cruz published an oral history of Hiroshi Shikuma detailing strawberry farming and Japanese American community life in the Pajaro Valley during the early 20th century. The volume covers his father’s immigration, the family’s agricultural innovations, and the founding of Naturipe Berry Growers.

Commentary

• Hail to the Chiefs and Other Convention Musings, by Bob, page 4. A columnist reflects on the JACL National Convention banquets, praising toastmaster Gene Honda’s dynamic introductions and recalling his own unheroic baseball memories. He also questions stereotypes about Asian values regarding work and family raised at convention workshops.
• Before It’s Too Late, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Columnist Bill Marutani follows up on the case of Ernest Kinzo Wakayama, a WWI veteran forcibly sent to Japan in 1942, who at 91 continues seeking an accounting from the U.S. government. Rep. Norman Mineta arranged a birthday tribute for Wakayama, but Marutani argues a full governmental accounting for all internees is still owed.
• Faulty Documentation, by James Oda, page 4. James Oda responds to being labeled a ‘wartime informer’ by Professor Peter Suzuki, denying authorship of a Naval Intelligence document about pro-Japan activities in Manzanar and suggesting it was fabricated using his name. He defends his record as an anti-subversive activist while criticizing Suzuki’s characterization of events.
• Donations to Pacific Citizen for Typesetting Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Citizen lists recent donations to its typesetting fund, totaling $171 for the week and bringing the overall total to $35,308.02. Individual donors are named along with their contribution amounts.
• From the Frying Pan: Before It’s Too Late on ‘Jap’, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa praises the U.S. House of Representatives’ resolution favoring ‘Jpn.’ over ‘Jap’ as an abbreviation for Japan, noting the term’s offensive history rooted in wartime racism. He discusses how ignorance rather than malice often drives continued use of ethnic slurs and calls for mutual sensitivity among groups.
• Waning Weeks in Washington, by Grayce Uyehara, page 5. LEC update describes the busy final weeks of Congress before summer recess, detailing meetings with Judiciary Committee Chairman Peter Rodino and Representatives Matsui and Mineta regarding redress legislation H.R. 442. Uyehara urges JACL members to intensify lobbying efforts and lists Judiciary Committee members with co-sponsorship status.

JACL

• Daniels Kicks Off Convention, by Robert Shimabukuro and Christina Adachi, page 6. Historian Roger Daniels warned of a rising ‘new nativism’ against immigrants in his keynote address at the JACL Convention’s Kickoff Banquet, predicting more restrictive immigration legislation within a few years. The banquet also honored JACLer of the Biennium Mary Tsukamoto and Edison Uno Civil Rights Award winners Walt and Mildred Woodward, former publishers of the Bainbridge Review.
• Wright: U.S. Can Rectify Errors, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 7. Rep. Jim Wright addressed the JACL Sayonara Banquet, reviewing historical injustices against minorities including slavery, Native American displacement, and Japanese American internment, while emphasizing the nation’s capacity to correct its errors. Lorna Onizuka accepted the JA of the Biennium Award on behalf of her late husband, astronaut Ellison Onizuka.
• JACL Honors Diplomat, Editor, by Christina Adachi, page 7. Ambassador Philip Trezise received the 1986 Mike M. Masaoka Distinguished Public Service Award, presented by Bill Hosokawa on Masaoka’s behalf due to Masaoka’s ill health. Editor Howard S. Cady was also honored for publishing the influential JARP book ‘Nisei: The Quiet Americans’ by Hosokawa.

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