Vol. 103, No. 19, November 7, 1986. 12 pages. View this issue
JACL’s money troubles ran through this issue. Lynn Sakamoto-Chung reported a projected year-end cash flow deficit of nearly $100,000, tied to falling memberships and unfulfilled chapter redress pledges. A page 9 article added that liability insurance premiums rose more than 50 percent. One commentary on page 4 looked at the membership drain, and another, by Miki Himeno, answered attacks on a former national officer. On the front page, an Asian American Caucus of Connecticut condemned Senate candidate Roger Eddy’s remarks on the U.S.-Japan trade deficit as racist.
Manzanar got two pages of attention. Raymond Okamura reviewed Harry Ueno’s oral history, and J.K. Yamamoto wrote about how Ueno disputes accounts of the 1942 riot. Also inside: JACL and LEC backing the NCJAR redress petition, Rep. Norman Mineta on the 99th Congress, George Takei’s Walk of Fame star, chemist Yuan T. Lee’s Nobel Prize, and Bill Marutani’s column on a 1943 conference at Tule Lake.
What’s in this issue
National
- Connecticut Candidate’s Trade Deficit Remarks Called ‘Racist’, page 1. A newly formed Asian American Caucus of Connecticut condemned Republican Senate candidate Roger Eddy for ‘inflammatory racist language’ about Japan’s trade practices made in a speech to a state AFL-CIO convention. The coalition of 14 Asian community organizations demanded a retraction and said the rhetoric could lead to anti-Asian violence.
- Mineta Recalls Impact of 99th Congress on JAs, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 2. Rep. Norman Mineta addressed Southern California supporters about the 99th Congress, discussing the U.S.-Japan trade deficit, anti-Asian violence risks, and redress legislation. He announced Rep. Tom Foley would reintroduce H.R. 442 in the 100th Congress and discussed the impact of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings budget bill on redress funding.
- Asian American Is Recipient of Nobel Prize for Chemistry, page 2. UC Berkeley professor Yuan T. Lee won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with two colleagues for developing the field of reaction dynamics. Born in Taiwan, Lee said his win could inspire other Asian Americans and encouraged them to be more assertive in academic settings.
Arts & Entertainment
- ‘Star Trek’ Star George Takei Honored With Walk of Fame Star, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu on ‘Star Trek,’ received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame on Oct. 30, with his mother Fumiko stepping on it first at his request. Fellow cast members, city officials, and community leaders attended the ceremony honoring his acting career and civic activities.
JACL
- Expenditures Contribute to JACL Deficit, by Lynn Sakamoto-Chung, page 1. JACL’s projected year-end cash flow deficit of nearly $100,000 stems from falling memberships, unfulfilled chapter redress pledges, and costly expenditures including $12,000 paid to accounting firm Arthur Young for an IRS audit issue involving the Sequoia Chapter. Rising liability insurance rates and deferred revenue from the 1000 Club Life Membership Fund also contributed to the shortfall.
- JACL Financial Woes: Insurance Hikes and Deferred Revenue Add to Deficit, page 9. JACL’s liability insurance premiums jumped more than 50 percent this year, from under $40,000 to over $60,000, adding to the organization’s cash flow problems. National leaders including Alan Nishi and Yosh Nakashima are developing plans and proposing a Management Audit Committee to address the deficit and review JACL policies.
Incarceration & Redress
- JACL, LEC Urge High Court to Review NCJAR Redress Suit, page 1. JACL and LEC joined an amici curiae brief filed by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund supporting NCJAR’s petition asking the Supreme Court to reinstate redress claims dismissed by a federal appeals court in January 1986. The brief argued judicial review was needed to remove the stigma of disloyalty from Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII.
- Manzanar Riot: A Japanese American-Style ‘Rashomon’, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 3. Harry Ueno disputes popular and official accounts of the 1942 Manzanar Riot, including the film ‘Farewell to Manzanar’ and depictions in books by Bill Hosokawa and Michi Weglyn, insisting demonstrators carried no weapons and threw no rocks. Ueno also challenged testimony claiming soldiers were forced to shoot, noting that one victim was shot from behind.
Community
- L.A.’s Nikkei-Oriented Movie Theater Closes Doors, by Naomi Hirahara, Rafu Shimpo, page 1. The Kokusai Theater in L.A.’s Crenshaw area, once a thriving hub for Japanese American moviegoers, screened its last film on Oct. 30 after dwindling attendance and four years of financial losses. Longtime owner Motokazu Yokoyama sold the theater to a church but hopes to relocate and continue showing Japanese films, possibly at Little Tokyo Square.
In-Depth
- Manzanar Martyr: An Interview with Harry Y. Ueno, by Raymond Okamura, page 3. This book review examines ‘Manzanar Martyr,’ an oral history of Harry Ueno, the central figure in the Manzanar Riot of Dec. 6, 1942, detailing his rise as a community leader through the Mess Hall Workers Union. The review praises the book’s balanced treatment of conflicting accounts surrounding the camp uprising and Ueno’s subsequent imprisonment.
Commentary
- The Membership Drain, page 4. A departing JACL District Council governor and National Board member reflects on the organization’s membership crisis and financial troubles, arguing that automated renewals and giveaways alone cannot reverse declining relevance to Nikkei. The author proposes forming a task force to study membership needs and calls for grassroots-driven change within JACL.
- East Wind: Y.P.C.C. — April 3-4, 1943, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Columnist Bill Marutani shares a lengthy list of names from a program for the 2nd Semi-Annual Young People’s Christian Conference held at Tule Lake camp in 1943, hoping readers can match names to faces in a related photograph. The column catalogs participants across numerous committees including music, reception, registration, and refreshments.
- Venomous Attacks, Shameful Actions, by Miki Himeno, page 9. A former JACL VP of Planning disputes claims that Rose Ochi
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