Redress education board, JACL budgets and the 1996 convention

Vol. 122, No. 8, April 19, 1996. 12 pages. View this issue

The Civil Liberties Act and the JACL’s own finances ran through this 12-page issue. Don Nakanishi, a member of the Civil Liberties Public Education Board, set an April 30 public meeting in Los Angeles to gather community views on how its $5 million fund should award grants. The Office of Redress Administration reported paying 79,895 claimants. JACL President Denny Yasuhara gave a financial accounting of 1995, and Reid Tateoka and Grayce Uyehara explained the rules for the San Jose convention.

Bill Hosokawa wrote that funding lay behind the Pacific Citizen’s reduced publication. Elsewhere, the paper sought student speakers for the 27th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage and announced a documentary, “Starting Over,” about Japanese Americans after the war. It also covered the JACL’s call for an investigation into beatings of suspected immigrants near Los Angeles, and a Gila River internee chosen to carry the Olympic torch.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Education Board Member Sets April 30 Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Don Nakanishi, appointed by President Clinton to the Civil Liberties Public Education Board, will hold a public meeting on April 30 at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles. The meeting will share information from the board’s first Washington, D.C. session and gather community input on criteria for awarding grants from the $5 million education fund.
• U.S. Pays 79,895 Redress Claimants, Adds Two Categories, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Office of Redress Administration announced it has paid 79,895 claimants under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and is preparing to review two new eligibility categories: minors relocated to Japan during the war and cases affected by the Ishida court decision. ORA administrator DeDe Greene said the program is scheduled to close August 10, 1998, and urged eligible individuals to contact ORA and gather necessary documentation.
• ORA Revises ‘Unknown List’, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Office of Redress Administration has revised its list of unlocated internees by cross-referencing them with potential family members who were also interned, aiding identification efforts. The list is available at JACL regional offices and is intended as a helpful但 not definitive resource for locating unknown internees.
• Speakers Sought for Manzanar Pilgrimage, by P.C. Staff, page 7. High school and college students are being sought as keynote speakers for the 27th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage on April 27, with entrants submitting essays on the importance of learning about the camp experience. Volunteers are also needed to help distribute flowers for the interfaith service and repair the cemetery monument, which has bullet holes that need patching and painting.

National

• Some Hate Crimes Rise in L.A. in ’95, by P.C. Staff, page 1. According to Ron Wakabayashi of the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations, hate crimes motivated by race, religion and disability increased slightly in 1995, with crimes against Asian/Pacifics increasing the most. Crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender decreased, while assaults and attempted murders made up a large share of all hate crimes, especially against gay victims.
• JACL Calls for Investigation into Beatings of Immigrants Near L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL National Board adopted a resolution condemning the use of excessive force by Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies against suspected undocumented immigrants, calling for an investigation into possible racial bias and anti-immigrant motivation. National Director Herbert Yamanishi drew parallels to the WWII incarceration experience of Japanese Americans in expressing the organization’s concern.

JACL

• National Board Seeks Member Input on Drafts of Three Budget Scenarios, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Budget Committee developed three financial scenarios for the next biennium, ranging from a status-quo budget with no dues increase to a $14 dues increase that would return Pacific Citizen to weekly publication. The National Board approved sending the drafts to chapters for input before a National Council vote at the August convention in San Jose.
• PSW Announces Leadership Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Pacific Southwest District Council of JACL will host “Eyes of the Future,” a leadership conference from May 31 to June 2 in Los Angeles, aimed at improving leadership skills within Asian Pacific Islander communities. The conference will include workshops on media relations, public speaking, fundraising, and becoming politically active.
• Resolutions Procedures for 34th Biennial Convention, by Reid Tateoka, page 4. Resolutions Committee chair Reid Tateoka outlines the detailed procedures for submitting resolutions to the 34th Biennial National JACL Convention in San Jose, including deadlines, fiscal impact statement requirements, and rules for emergency and memorial resolutions. The article explains the definitions, purposes, and review processes for resolutions and constitutional/bylaw amendments.
• Changes Announced for JACL Convention Rules, by Grayce Uyehara, page 4. Changes to convention rules for 1996 include a new Constitutional and Bylaw Amendment Committee chaired by Floyd Shimomura, which will review proposed amendments before placing them on a final ballot requiring supermajority votes. The article also describes a new Fiscal Impact Statement disclosure process for resolutions and a Consent Calendar system for resolutions without fiscal impact.
• Year-End Report: 1995 Budget (Unaudited), by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL’s unaudited 1995 budget report shows expenses came in $115,572 below budget, with detailed line-item narratives explaining savings in salaries, contract services, and other categories due to downsizing and cost-cutting measures. The report details specific variances in revenue and expenditure categories including membership revenue, Pacific Citizen costs, and reserve fund allocations.
• 1995 — What It Has Meant to Us, by Denny Yasuhara, page 9. JACL National President Denny Yasuhara provides a detailed financial accounting of 1995, reporting total revenues of $1,239,774 and expenditures of $1,120,775, resulting in a net gain after adjustments. He credits cost-cutting measures, the Annual Giving Program led by Grayce Uyehara, and the efforts of staff including Karyl Matsumoto for beginning JACL’s financial recovery after a difficult 1994.

Community

• Snapshots: National Youth/Student Conference, Feb. 23-24, San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 6. More than 100 participants attended the JACL National Youth/Student Conference in San Francisco, featuring a keynote address from Francey Lim-Youngberg and a Vision Award presentation to Lorna Onizuka, widow of astronaut Ellison Onizuka. The conference included discussions on redress education, Hapa identity issues, and a performance by the Asian American acting troupe Here and Now.
• Personally Speaking: Youth in the News, by P.C. Staff, page 10. This roundup column highlights several young Japanese Americans’ achievements, including Kaelen Oshinomi’s participation in a national leaders conference, violinists Candace Chang and Reina Inui sharing first prize in a symphony competition, and seven Boy Scouts earning Eagle Scout medals at a Gardena ceremony. It also profiles pharmacist Bob Endo’s 35-year career and Gerald Yamada’s appointment as general counsel to the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation.
• Arizona Chapter Member to Carry ’96 Olympic Torch, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Fred H. Tomooka of Glendale, Arizona, a legally blind and developmentally disabled JACL member, was selected to be an Olympic torch-bearer when the ceremony occurs in Arizona April 29-30. Tomooka, who was interned at Gila River Relocation Center during WWII, has volunteered for more than 14 years with organizations including United Way and the American Red Cross.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Families ‘Starting Over’ Subject of New Documentary, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A new hour-long documentary, “Starting Over: Japanese Americans After the War,” will premiere May 6 at the Kabuki 8 Theater in San Francisco, chronicling the resettlement experiences of Japanese Americans after WWII incarceration. Produced by Dianne Fukami and hosted by Jan Yanehiro, the film features interviews with former Congressman Norman Mineta and other community members who overcame discrimination in housing and employment.

Commentary

• Bottom Line in PC Problems Is Funding, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Columnist Bill Hosokawa reflects on lessons from his former editor Palmer Hoyt about the necessity of remaining financially solvent, applying this to Pacific Citizen’s current struggles with reduced publication frequency and staffing. He explains how a 1994 convention decision to shift fiscal control of PC to the National Board, without granting fundraising authority, created a structural problem now causing member complaints about coverage and frequency.
• Katsudo-Shashin’s (Movies), by Bill Marutani, page 8. Bill Marutani recalls prewar Nikkei community gatherings in Washington’s Shirakawa Valley to watch Japanese films, contrasting the excitement of chambara sword films with the melancholy modern dramas favored by Issei women. He recounts a postwar encounter in a Tokyo church with actress Ri-ko-ran (Yamaguchi Yoshiko), whom he had seen pictured on a calendar years earlier.
• More First-Hand Experience at Tokyo War Crimes Trials, page 8. A letter writer shares personal recollections of working in the Defense’s Language and Investigation Branch at the Tokyo War Crimes trials, detailing colleagues including Charles Sheldon, William E. Clarke, and Arthur Misaki, and Japanese staff who served as translators and interpreters. The writer also notes the presence of a pioneering Japanese woman attorney, Toshiko Sugai, on the defense team and other notable figures involved in the trial.

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