JACL election platforms, the Lim Report and same-sex marriage debate

Vol. 119, No. 1, July 1, 1994. 12 pages. View this issue

The 1994 JACL National Convention in Salt Lake City, set for early August, framed much of this 12-page issue. Candidates for national president, secretary/treasurer, membership and the Youth Council, including Michael D. Sawamura, David Kawamoto Yasuhara and Jonathan Kaji, printed their platform statements. Youth events were also previewed, among them a “Topaz Remembered” workshop and a Topaz trip on Aug. 7. In the commentary pages, Bill Hosokawa and a letter writer returned to the Lim Report on JACL’s wartime actions. Others, including Allicyn C. Hikida and Vanessa Y. Chong, discussed the Honolulu Chapter’s support for same-sex marriage, and readers wrote in with differing views.

Elsewhere, the House passed a $5 million Civil Liberties Public Education Fund appropriation, a redress measure under the Civil Liberties Act. Harry K. Honda remembered former UCLA Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy, and the Japanese American of the Biennium honorees were named: Jerry Enomoto, Evelyn Nakano Glenn and Yoshihiro Uchida.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Youth Events Planned for National JACL Convention in Salt Lake City, by Robert Ryan Morishita, page 1. The National Youth Council is organizing several youth-focused events at the JACL convention in Salt Lake City, including a Youth Luncheon and workshops with federal agencies discussing minority employment opportunities. A highlight is the ‘Topaz Remembered’ workshop and a related trip to the Topaz internment camp site on Aug. 7, open to all age groups.
• JA of the Biennium Awards Announced: Enomoto, Glenn and Uchida to Be Honored, page 1. Jerry Enomoto, Evelyn Nakano Glenn and Yoshihiro Uchida will receive the Japanese American of the Biennium Award at the JACL National Convention on Aug. 6, 1994, in Salt Lake City. The award recognizes their respective contributions in law enforcement, education, and advancing the sport of judo in the United States.
• James Irvine Foundation Grants $50,000 for Asian Pacific Islander Women’s Health Conference, page 3. The James Irvine Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to Asians and Pacific Islanders for Reproductive Health (APIRH) to plan the first statewide conference on Asian and Pacific Islander women’s health. The conference, to be held in Sacramento in April 1995, aims to develop a California advocacy agenda and provide leadership development opportunities.
• Congressman Mineta to Be Honored by LEAP, page 3. Rep. Norman Mineta will be honored and give the keynote speech at the sixth annual Leadership Awards Dinner hosted by Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) in Los Angeles. Other honorees include Lucille Boswell, Dr. Dhyan Lal, Angela Oh, and East West Players, with proceeds supporting LEAP’s core leadership programs.
• Michael D. Sawamura: Presidential Candidate Platform Statement, by Michael D. Sawamura, page 4. Candidate for JACL national president Michael D. Sawamura outlines his vision to enhance the organization’s inner strength, re-energize grassroots membership, and unify leadership to meet civil rights challenges. He emphasizes fiduciary accountability, communication with membership, and building on the legacy of past JACL leaders.
• David Kawamoto Yasuhara: Presidential Candidate Platform Statement, by David Kawamoto Yasuhara, page 4. Candidate for JACL office David Kawamoto Yasuhara presents a platform emphasizing chapter vitality, communication, and grassroots membership as essential to the organization’s success. He argues that regional offices and individual chapters are critical for maintaining JACL’s national influence and effectiveness.
• Dean Taniguchi: Membership Platform Statement, by Dean Taniguchi, page 4. Candidate Dean Taniguchi proposes a plan for strengthening JACL’s membership program, including adopting a concrete 5% membership growth goal and identifying potential new members within local communities. His plan also calls for broadening JACL’s vision on recruitment and improving external image and presentation, including reconsidering the Pacific Citizen’s format and JACL’s logo.
• Jonathan Kaji: Secretary/Treasurer Candidate Platform Statement, by Jonathan Kaji, page 4. Candidate for Secretary/Treasurer Jonathan Kaji pledges to continue the annual certified audit of JACL and the Pacific Citizen, present annual budgets to the National Board, and meet regularly with the Finance Committee. He aims to ensure transparent financial reporting to the membership.
• Kim Nakahara and Kimi Yoshino: Joint Youth Council Platform Statement, by Kim Nakahara, Kimi Yoshino, page 4. Candidates for Youth Council chair and representative Kim Nakahara and Kimi Yoshino present a joint platform to strengthen the JACL Youth program through recruitment, leadership development, education initiatives, and expanding the National Youth Council’s presence. They propose creating recruitment materials, newsletters, and networking with other Asian American student organizations.
• Patti Murakawa: Vice President for Planning and Development Platform Statement, by Patti Murakawa, page 4. Incumbent candidate Patti Murakawa outlines her objectives for continuing as Vice President for Planning and Development, including implementing the JACL National Program for Action and the Select Committee on Organizational Structure recommendations. She also highlights her role in developing the Leadership Training Institute curriculum and a proposal to hire student organizers to boost JACL’s presence on college campuses.

Obituaries

• Franklin D. Murphy: His Nikkei Connections, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. Former UCLA Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy, who died June 16 of cancer at age 78, was remembered for his early and enthusiastic support of the JACL-Japanese American Research Project starting in 1960. Colleagues recalled his offer of library space and his role in fostering scholarship on Japanese American history, though his obituary in the Los Angeles Times omitted this legacy.
• Former PC Board Chair Al Hatate Dies at 69, page 1. Alfred Isamu Hatate, a Seattle-born retired bank official and former Pacific Citizen Board chair and national JACL treasurer, died June 16 in Pasadena following a brief illness. Stranded in Japan during WWII, he served in a Japanese Army intelligence unit before returning to the U.S. in 1951 and rising through JACL leadership positions in Los Angeles.

National

• Bill Would Stop Discrimination by Sexual Orientation, page 1. Legislation introduced by Sen. Edward Kennedy and Reps. Barney Frank and Gerry Studds would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. JACL Washington Representative Karen Narasaki praised the measure’s bipartisan support and endorsement by major civil rights organizations.
• House Passes $5 Million Redress Education Fund, page 1. The House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill including a $5 million allocation for the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund. JACL Washington Representative Karen Narasaki praised Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey for his support of the measure, which fulfills a pledge made when Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act in 1988.
• Group Formed to Protect Asian Immigrant Labor Rights, page 6. The National Justice Association for Public Interest Law awarded a fellowship to Laura Ho, a recent Yale Law School graduate, to work with the Asian Law Caucus on protecting Asian immigrant workers’ rights in San Francisco. Asian Law Caucus executive director Paul Igasaki noted that California’s economic downturn has increased anti-Asian sentiment in the workplace.

Community

• L.A. Schools Urged to Include Sexual Orientation in Anti-Discrimination Policies, page 6. A Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations report recommends that school districts include sexual orientation in anti-discrimination policies and provide safe environments and curriculum inclusive of gay and lesbian contributions. The recommendations followed findings that gay males were targets of the largest number of hate crimes in the county’s 1993 annual report.

Military & Veterans

• Measure to Name Freeway for Nisei Hero, page 6. California State Sen. David Roberti authored a resolution to name a stretch of the Century Freeway in Los Angeles after WWII Nisei war hero Pfc. Sadao Munemori, a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. The resolution, backed by the San Fernando Valley JACL Chapter and Nisei Veterans Coordinating Council, has passed the State Senate.

In-Depth

• Recent Books and Publications on Japanese Swords, Anthropology, and Japanese American History, by Harry K. Honda, page 7. Editor emeritus Harry Honda reviews recent publications including a ten-volume English translation of Japanese sword history by Harry Watson, anthropology titles on Melanesia and Southeast Asia, and Japanese American history works including a booklet from Rohwer relocation center and an essay on Manzanar schoolchildren. Also noted is recognition for UC Berkeley professor Evelyn Nakano Glenn, who will receive the Japanese American of the Biennium award.

Commentary

• Exhuming the Lim Report, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Columnist Bill Hosokawa examines the controversial Lim Report, commissioned by JACL to investigate the organization’s wartime actions, noting that the upcoming convention will revisit the report to dispel cover-up rumors. He argues that while the report contains valuable detail, it also has weaknesses including reliance on secondary sources and author conjecture, and that JACL’s wartime stance must be understood in the context of the era’s anti-Japanese hysteria.
• In Black and White, by Jin Konomi, page 8. Columnist Jin Konomi explores the historical presence of Black ancestry among European noble families, citing genealogical records showing Black knights depicted on coats of arms across hundreds of European families. He traces various historical influxes of Black populations into Europe through conquest, colonization, and military service.
• Reader Gives View of Lim Report and JACL Role, page 8. A letter writer raises multiple questions about the Lim Report’s handling by JACL’s Select Committee, disputing claims that the report lacked primary source documentation and listing specific primary sources used. The writer also questions why the report’s findings on JACL’s informant activities and capitulation to discriminatory policies have not been addressed.
• We Need Leadership, Dialogue, by Roy Nishikawa, page 9. Former JACL national president Roy Nishikawa laments increasing politicization and divisiveness within JACL leadership, contrasting it with the unified, focused leadership of the organization’s postwar era. He calls for JACL members to research candidates carefully and engage in dialogue to restore trust and unity within the organization.
• Time to Get Involved in Health Care Reform, by Eileen Otsuji, page 9. Eileen Otsuji, serving on the National JACL’s health care reform task force, criticizes the profit-driven, bureaucratic nature of the American health care system and calls it a key civil rights issue for JACL members. She urges JACLers to stay informed and participate in the health care reform discussion at the National Convention in Salt Lake City.
• U.S. Needs More Asian Pacific Ambassadors, by Ike Hatchimonji, page 9. Former U.S. Foreign Service officer Ike Hatchimonji criticizes the Clinton administration for its lack of Asian Pacific American ambassadorial appointments despite pledges to have the administration reflect the diversity of the nation. He calls on Asian Pacific American community leaders and civil rights organizations to advocate for greater representation in foreign service leadership.
• Endowment Fund Should Have Kept Up with Inflation, by Arnold Miyamoto, page 10. Financial officer Arnold Miyamoto argues that the JACL Endowment Fund’s value has stagnated since 1966 due to large distributions without adequate reinvestment, failing to keep pace with inflation. He calculates that the fund would need to be worth nearly $2,000,000 today to match its 1966 purchasing power, but its current value is less than a quarter of that.
• Coalition Supports Same-Sex Decision in Hawaii, by Vanessa Y. Chong, page 10. The Coalition for Equality & Diversity, including the JACL Honolulu Chapter, strongly supports the Hawaii Supreme Court’s ruling in Baehr v. Lewin that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage constitutes unlawful sex discrimination. The author argues that religious objections should not override constitutional equal protection guarantees, drawing parallels to past bans on interracial marriage.
• Explaining Honolulu Chapter’s Same-Sex Decision, by Allicyn C. Hikida, page 10. The Honolulu JACL Chapter president explains the board’s decision to support the concept of same-sex marriage following the Hawaii Supreme Court’s Baehr v. Lewin ruling. She addresses common questions about JACL’s involvement in the issue, framing it as a matter of basic civil rights rather than religious morality.
• Letters to the Editor: JACL Must Not Run from Same-Sex Issue and Other Views, by Douglas A. Clark, Gosei Otaka, Esther Taylor, Phil Shigekuni, Ike Hatchimonji, Jin Konomi, page 11. Multiple readers respond to JACL’s National Board decision on same-sex marriage, with some supporting the stance as consistent with civil rights principles and others resigning their memberships in protest. A separate letter calls for JACL to honor the late James Omura for his wartime support of Heart Mountain draft resisters.

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