Anti-Asian bigotry, the UC admissions debate and a change of editors

Vol. 104, No. 4, January 30, 1987. 8 pages. View this issue

Anti-Asian bigotry ran through this eight-page issue. The Pacific Citizen reported on the University of California admissions controversy, with comments from UC President David Gardner and Henry Der of Chinese for Affirmative Action, and on a march of about 300 people in Revere, Massachusetts, over violence against the Cambodian community. A reprinted San Francisco Examiner editorial, “Quell the Anti-Asian Bigotry,” took up the same subject. The front page also carried Karl Akiya’s Martin Luther King award, William M. Marutani’s coming Civil Liberties Award, and Councilman Mike Woo’s endorsement of Gloria Molina in Los Angeles.

Inside are Bob’s farewell Nikkei View as departing editor, Paul Shinkawa’s new column on JACL membership, Tom Arima on JACL’s aspirations, and Bill Marutani on Pine Ridge Reservation. Letters ask who designed the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s shoulder patch and praise JACL’s role in publicizing the Yasui coram nobis case. Community news includes the fire at the Asian Community Center in Sacramento and the story of Clive Greenlee, a former teacher at the Manzanar camp.

What’s in this issue

National

• Woo Backs L.A. Council Candidate, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles Councilman Mike Woo endorsed Assemblywoman Gloria Molina for the Feb. 3 special election for the City Council’s 1st District seat. Molina also received endorsements from council members Pat Russell, Joel Wachs, Joy Picus and Marvin Braude.
• Congressional Roster Omits Asians, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A New York Times breakdown of the 100th Congress by race failed to account for Asian Pacific American members including Sens. Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga and several House members. The charts described the Senate as 100 percent white and the House as 92 percent white, 5 percent Black and 3 percent Hispanic.
• UC President’s Statement Adds to Admissions Debate, page 1. University of California President David Gardner’s comments about Asian “overrepresentation” in the UC system sparked controversy, with Chinese for Affirmative Action director Henry Der criticizing the remarks as reflecting anti-Asian sentiment. Gardner maintained his comments were misinterpreted and said the issue stems from enrollment pressure and a legislative resolution that doesn’t account for UC eligibility differences among ethnic groups.
• Anti-Cambodian Violence Protested in Massachusetts, page 1. About 300 people marched in Revere, Massachusetts to protest a series of violent incidents against the Cambodian community, including a Dec. 25 arson fire that left 23 people homeless. The coalition called on the city to establish a police unit to investigate racially motivated crimes and provide assistance to fire victims.
• Three Hawaii AJAs Named to Administration, page 2. Hawaii Gov. John Waihee appointed three Japanese Americans as department heads: Edward Hirata as Director of Transportation, Russel Nagata as head of Accounting and General Services, and Yukio Takemoto as Budget and Finance Director. Several other Japanese Americans were also named to the governor’s staff.
• UC Admissions Debate Continues Amid Enrollment Pressure, page 3. The continuation of the UC admissions controversy details Gardner’s acknowledgment that Asian students are the most UC-eligible ethnic group while defending the university’s affirmative action efforts for other minorities. Henry Der argued that Asians simply want a fair opportunity to compete, while the Asian American Task Force on University Admissions has alleged discriminatory practices at UC Berkeley.
• AP Democrats Recommend Five for Rights Commission, page 3. The National Democratic Council of Asian and Pacific Americans recommended five Asian Americans, including JACL National Director Ron Wakabayashi and attorney Stewart Kwoh, for appointment to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The nominees are being proposed for a Democratic slot on the eight-member commission amid concerns about rising anti-Asian violence.
• Asian Carry-Out Reopened; Black Demonstrations End, page 8. A Chinese American carry-out owner in Washington D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood reopened his store after more than three months of Black community demonstrations following a dispute with a customer over a handgun incident. Rev. Willie Wilson ended the protests, though tensions remained as he warned residents to avoid contact with the owner, Cheung Hung Chan.
• MIT Offering Scholarship, page 8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced a $24,000, two-year scholarship for an Asian American student in its graduate urban planning and design program. The scholarship aims to address underrepresentation of Asian Americans among graduate students in planning despite strong representation in MIT’s undergraduate body.

Community

• JA Wins Martin Luther King Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Karl Akiya received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a ceremony in New York for his work in redress, labor organizing, nuclear disarmament and civil rights. The event was sponsored by the New York State Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission.
• Fire Destroys Sac’to Center; Nursing Home Is Unaffected, by Robert Tokunaga, page 1. An early morning fire on Jan. 2 destroyed the Asian Community Center in Sacramento, though the center still hopes to open the nearby Asian Community Nursing Home in mid-February. Fire investigators believe the blaze was caused by the building’s old electrical system rather than arson, and most financial and office records were salvaged.
• Teacher Robbed Repeatedly, page 6. Clive Greenlee, a 78-year-old blind former teacher at the Manzanar internment camp, has been robbed multiple times by criminals exploiting his blindness at his Long Beach home. Despite the repeated robberies, Greenlee has refused to move from his longtime residence.
• Artist Otsuka’s Works to Be Displayed, Sold, page 6. The San Jose JACL Chapter is hosting a benefit dinner and art show featuring artist Hisashi Otsuka on Feb. 14, with proceeds helping establish a local Japanese American resource center. A limited edition print titled “The Spirit of Musashi” commemorating the 100th anniversary of Japanese arrival in America will be sold at a reduced price, with half of proceeds donated to the chapter.
• Chicago Senior Gets Health and Fitness Award, page 8. Sue Shizu Lofton, 72, a former assistant dean at Roosevelt University, was named a recipient of the first annual Illinois Governor’s Senior Leadership Award for Health and Physical Fitness. After retiring in 1978, she became an accomplished tai chi instructor and has taught exercise classes for seniors and led workshops for major health organizations.

JACL

• Marutani to Receive Civil Liberties Award, by Sumi Kobayashi, page 1. William M. Marutani, former judge and longtime JACL leader, will be honored at the fifth annual Civil Liberties Award Dinner in Philadelphia for his civil rights achievements, including arguing Loving vs. Virginia before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served on the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and writes the
• JACL — Its Importance and Aspirations, by Tom Arima, page 4. The author, newly named to head the Contra Costa 1000 Club, discusses JACL’s historical importance in advancing Nikkei civil rights and announces plans to activate a 1000 Club group focused on redress, solidarity and membership. He emphasizes that passage of redress bills in the 100th Congress is imperative.
• District Council Meeting Set for NCWNP JACL, page 7. The JACL Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific District Council will hold its first quarterly meeting of the year on Feb. 8 in San Juan Bautista, California. The agenda includes reports on the 1988 national convention, membership, ethnic concerns, district youth, and health insurance.

Obituaries

• Jiro Tani, 77, page 2. Jiro Tani, a longtime staff member of the Kashu Mainichi in Los Angeles, died of a heart attack on Dec. 29 at age 77. He worked at the Kashu starting in 1933, later headed the Rafu Shimpo’s advertising department, and returned to the Kashu before his death, leaving behind his wife, children, grandchildren and a sister.

Commentary

• Nikkei View: Welcome Back to Portland, by Bob, page 4. The departing Pacific Citizen editor reflects on returning to Portland after two years in Los Angeles, describing the cold weather and small-town atmosphere. He thanks readers and staff for their support during his tenure and expresses hope for the paper’s future financial stability and direction.
• Who Do We Think We Are?, by Paul Shinkawa, page 4. In the first installment of a new column on JACL membership issues, the author proposes an open forum to discuss why membership is declining and what JACL’s organizational identity should be. He invites readers to send their thoughts on what JACL is and should become to his Austin, Texas address.
• Letters to the Editor, by Various, page 5. Letters include requests for help locating wartime contacts, including a physics professor seeking a woman who helped stranded Nisei students during WW2, and a query about who designed the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s shoulder patch. Other letters discuss Prime Minister Nakasone’s controversial remarks about homogeneity and mixed heritage, and praise JACL’s role in publicizing the Yasui coram nobis case nationally.
• Quell the Anti-Asian Bigotry, page 5. This reprinted San Francisco Examiner editorial describes rising anti-Asian violence and discrimination in California, citing examples from a child being excluded from a sandbox to the killing of a Cambodian refugee in Boston. It argues that bigotry stems from economic competition, historical prejudice, and contradictory stereotyping, calling for greater public education and policies to address racial conflict.
• East Wind: Pine Ridge Reservation, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani describes the dire conditions at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, including staggering unemployment, poverty, alcoholism and suicide rates among the Oglala Lakota people. He draws a parallel to the institutionalization experienced by Issei in WW2 concentration camps, arguing that understanding and action, not rhetoric, are needed to address the crisis.

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