JACL’s next legislative target: the Civil Rights Act of 1990

Vol. 110, No. 5, February 9, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

The Civil Rights Act of 1990 was the front-page story of this eight-page issue. The National JACL Board authorized its network to work for the bill, which was designed to restore protections limited by recent Supreme Court decisions on employment discrimination. Washington Representative Paul Igasaki said JACL was joining the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, building on its Civil Liberties Act of 1988 campaign. Other front-page reports covered a California bill for a study of Asian Americans in higher education, Cressey Nakagawa’s plan to seek a second term as JACL president, and little progress on the JACL Legacy Fund.

Also inside: a profile of George Azumano, who was held at Minidoka during World War II and later built a Portland travel business. Bill Hosokawa wrote on “presentism” and the 1942 evacuation orders. A Day of Remembrance event in Little Tokyo was announced, and an editorial remembered journalist Mas Ogawa. Chapter news came from Houston, Florin and Ventura County.

What’s in this issue

National

• JACL’s Next Legislative Target: Civil Rights Act of 1990 to Undo Court Decisions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Board authorized its network to work for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1990, designed to restore protections limited by recent Supreme Court decisions on employment discrimination. Washington Representative Paul Igasaki said the JACL is joining the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights in this effort, building on its experience from the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 campaign.
• Comprehensive Look at Asian Americans in Higher Education in California Sought, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Assembly Speaker Willie L. Brown Jr. introduced legislation requiring a comprehensive study on the status of Asian Americans in higher education. The bill, AB 2626, would require the California Postsecondary Education Commission to collect data on admissions, enrollment, graduation rates, and faculty distribution of Asian Americans in the state’s colleges.
• Chicago Alderman Proposing Grocers Speak English, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chicago Alderman Bill Henry proposed an ordinance requiring grocers to speak English, sparking rebuke from Latino and Arab American Commissions and major newspaper editorials. Henry said the idea stemmed from complaints from residents in predominantly Black wards against Arab and Korean grocers, though currently a retail grocer’s license requires no language test.
• Illinois Asian Officials Form Informal Network, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chicago Commission on Asian American Affairs announced a new working relationship among officials to address issues facing Illinois’ Asian community, with members meeting monthly. Representatives from U.S. Senators’ offices and the governor’s office attended the initial meeting.
• Busted Japanese TV Star Issues Apology to Fans, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japanese actor Shintaro Katsu, known for his role as Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, apologized to fans after being arrested at the Honolulu airport with small quantities of marijuana and cocaine hidden in his underwear. The 58-year-old star, whose real name is Toshio Okumura, was caught during a routine Customs inspection.
• Female-Number Theory Used by Demographer, by P.C. Staff, page 2. UC Berkeley demographer Chin Long Chiang presented data showing the non-Hispanic white population in the U.S. is shrinking rapidly based on birth rate calculations, while the African American population is growing faster. Chiang, who developed the mathematical foundation for modern life tables, presented his findings at a 1989 international statistics meeting in Paris.
• Asian Mixed Marriage Research Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A national research project based at UC Berkeley is seeking participants for a study on Asian and intercultural marriages, focusing on marital satisfaction and conflict resolution. The study, approved by the University of Washington, seeks foreign-born Asian women married to Asian or white American-born men.
• Matsushita Complex to Locate in Fort Worth Area, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Matsushita Electric Industrial Corp. has chosen Texas as the site for a $700 million complex, with three sites in the Fort Worth area under consideration. Economic development sources say Fort Worth and Denton are the finalists among bids from a dozen communities.
• Derogatory Nihongo Words Put Books to Rest, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Two textbooks and a Japanese-English dictionary published by Japan’s Cultural Affairs Agency in 1989 were withdrawn after Upper House member Eizaburo Maejima revealed they contained derogatory terms for disabled and blind people. Publishing and broadcasting circles had agreed to avoid such terms since 1981, the International Year of Disabled Persons.
• ‘Domestic’ Marshall Plan Proposed, by P.C. Staff, page 8. John E. Jacob of the National Urban League proposed a $50 billion domestic Marshall Plan for minority communities, financed by reduced military spending. Jacob discussed the plan on a broadcast segment addressing the state of Black America.

Community

• Agency Uses Ad to Fight Gangs & Graffiti, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two years after Karen Toshima, a gang violence victim, was shot and killed in Westwood, the ad agency Frankel & Anderson created a series of print and broadcast ads against gangs and graffiti. KABC Talkradio is spearheading the campaign, encouraging listeners to call a hotline number.
• JACC Queen Contest Set, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center is seeking candidates for its 1990 Miss E.S.G.V. JCC Queen contest, to be held April 28, with the winner representing the center in the Nisei Week Queen Pageant. Applicants must be 19-25, never married, have at least one parent of full Japanese descent, and reside in the greater San Gabriel Valley.
• Spokane Open to Tokyo Women’s College Branch Being Established This Fall, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mukogawa Women’s University of Japan has an option to buy 72 acres and 30 buildings at the former Fort George Wright site in Spokane for a branch campus. If finalized, up to 180 Japanese women students could study conversational and practical English there starting this fall.
• Phoenix Fashion Gala to Highlight Japan Week, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A cross-cultural fashion event will highlight Japan Week celebrations in Phoenix during the week of Feb. 24-March 3, featuring designs by Shirley Sakamoto and John Marshall at a benefit dinner. Proceeds go to the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission student exchange program.
• Prewar Nisei Column on Advice to Lovelorn Spotlighted at Ventura County JACL Dinner, by Harry K. Honda, page 3. Dr. Valerie Matsumoto of UCLA previewed her research on prewar ‘Dierdre’ advice columns, penned by Mary Oyama, that appeared in Nisei newspapers and addressed social issues facing Nisei women. Stan Mukai was installed as the new Ventura County JACL chapter president at the event, succeeding Chuck Kuniyoshi.
• Florin JACL Installation Honors Six Students, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Anheuser-Busch Companies awarded scholarships to six Sacramento-area Nikkei students at the Florin JACL installation dinner, announced by outgoing chapter president Curtis R. Namba. New 1990 officers were sworn in by Municipal Court Judge Charles Kobayashi, with County Supervisor Illa Collin as keynote speaker.
• Delano Nikkei Reunion Scheduled May 19, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The 8th Delano Nisei Reunion will be held May 19 at Delano Bowl, featuring a buffet luncheon and dinner program sponsored by the Delano JACL and Delano Japanese Community. Reunion chairman Joe Katano requested address updates be sent in by Feb. 15 to update the roster.

JACL

• Nakagawa to Seek 2nd Term as JACL President, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL president Cressey Nakagawa announced during a Milwaukee JACL speech that he will seek a second term at the 1990 San Diego convention. He focused on JACL’s future after Redress and concerns about anti-Japan sentiment tied to incidents like the Vincent Chin and Jim Loo cases.
• Little Progress Made on National JACL’s Legacy Fund, by George Johnston, page 1. The National JACL Legacy Fund, a plan to raise $20 million from Redress payment recipients to fund national operations, was a time-consuming but inconclusive topic at the January National Board meeting. Board members including J.D. Hokoyama expressed frustration over lack of specifics, and the board directed staff to develop details before the next meeting at the National Convention.
• Yamasaki to Head Houston for 4th Year, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Mas Yamasaki was re-elected for an unprecedented fourth term as head of the Houston JACL chapter. The chapter plans to participate in the Bellaire Folk Fair and will host the fifth annual Houston Caper V golf tournament, drawing participants from the Midwest and Mountain Plains districts.

In-Depth

• Profile: George Azumano, Longtime Portland JACLer – Insurance Agent, Travel Impresario to Publisher, page 2. George Ichiro Azumano built a small Portland insurance agency serving the Japanese community into a $48 million-a-year travel business with offices across the country and in Japan. Interned at Minidoka during WWII, Azumano later expanded into publishing and real estate, with son-in-law Sho Dozono now leading day-to-day operations.
• Issei Rice Farmers in Texas Change to Oranges, Row Crops After Rice Boom, by Masakazu Iwata, page 5. This historical excerpt details the experiences of Issei rice farmers in Texas in the early 1900s, including pioneers like Saburo Arai and Kichimatsu Kishi who diversified into citrus, truck farming, and even oil exploration. It examines the eventual decline of the rice boom due to soil depletion and climate challenges, and the community’s fight against anti-alien land laws in the 1920s.

Arts & Entertainment

• Playwright Houston to Adapt ‘Hishoku’ Story for Film, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Award-winning poet and playwright Velina Hasu Houston has been chosen to adapt the late Japanese novelist Sawako Ariyoshi’s work Hishoku (Not Color) for film. The story follows a Japanese woman who marries an African American soldier and moves to Harlem, resonating with Houston’s own mixed Japanese and African-Indian American heritage.

Incarceration & Redress

• NCRR to Continue After Redress Finished, page 3. The National Coalition for Redress/Reparations decided at a January meeting in San Jose that it will continue operating after the Redress process is completed, expanding its focus to human and civil rights work, multi-national coalition building, and politics. The organization plans to hold a convention in November 1990 to determine its future direction and possible name change.
• ORA Administrator to Speak in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 1990 Day of Remembrance observance in Little Tokyo will feature Office of Redress Administration Executive Director Bob Bratt providing updates on the redress eligibility process. The event also marks the 10th anniversary of NCRR and will include performances by actor Lane Nishikawa and the Nippon Minyo Kenkyu Kai dance group.

Sports

• New Sports Daily Calls for Baseball Hall of Fame Change, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The new sports daily The National called in a February editorial for the Baseball Hall of Fame to induct Sadaharu Oh of the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants. The editorial argued that such a move would send a positive message to Japan amid strained Japanese-American relations.

Commentary

• RIP: Mas Ogawa, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial memorializes Masoru ‘Mas’ Ogawa, a Nisei journalist who died in Tokyo at age 74 and played a key role in postwar Japan’s understanding of the United States through his decades-long career at the Japan Times. Born in Los Angeles and educated at UCLA and Columbia, Ogawa rose to editor-in-chief and was known for explaining Japanese politics and foreign policy to Western correspondents.
• ‘In Poor Taste’, by Richard K. Onizuka, page 4. A letter to the editor criticizes Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen for using the term ‘Chinaman’ in reference to a wide receiver in a Denver Post interview, calling the remark racially insensitive especially given it was made on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The writer demands a public apology from Bowlen and the Broncos organization to Asian Americans and communities of color.
• H.I. Author Responds, by Allan Beekman, page 4. Responding to critical letters about his Holiday Issue article, the author defends his views on Nikkei identity in Hawaii, arguing that Nikkei there are often misidentified as Japanese nationals rather than American citizens. He contends that nationalism is a universal human trait and that Nikkei should learn from history while embracing American citizenship.
• Presentism: A Worthless Exercise?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa discusses the concept of ‘presentism’—judging historical figures and events by today’s standards—using H.L. Mencken’s private diary revelations of racial prejudice as an example. He applies the concept to criticism of Nisei who complied with wartime evacuation orders in 1942, arguing it’s illogical to judge past decisions by contemporary moral standards.
• Guam, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani explores Guam’s history as a U.S. territory and its transformation into a major tourist destination for Japanese visitors, who spend heavily on gifts and travel packages. He notes the economic boom’s downsides for local Chamorro residents, including rising costs of living and water supply concerns amid heavy construction.

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