Convention honorees and the race for JACL national office

Vol. 103, No. 2, July 11, 1986. 12 pages. View this issue

The JACL National Convention in Chicago drew most of the front page. The Pacific Citizen named the honorees: Walt and Mildred Woodward, former publishers of the Bainbridge Review, for the Edison Uno Civil Rights Award; Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka as Japanese American of the Biennium; Mary Tsukamoto as JACLer of the Biennium; and Philip Trezise for the Masaoka Distinguished Public Service Award. Also on page 1 were a new co-sponsor for redress bill H.R. 442, Rep. Dean Gallo, and House Majority Leader Jim Wright as keynote speaker. Profiles and candidate statements cover the presidency, with Harry Kajihara and Rose Ochi, and the other national offices.

Commentary takes up the redress and U.S.-Japan debate within JACL, with Bob Shimabukuro, Henry Sakai and Grayce Uyehara. Thomas Hara and Homer Yasui argue opposite sides of a proposed $200,000 Endowment Fund grant to the LEC redress effort. Bill Hosokawa writes on the Statue of Liberty centennial, and a short item reports that Gordon Hirabayashi married Susan Carnahan.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Uno Civil Rights Award to Honor Walt and Mildred Woodward, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Walt and Mildred Woodward, former publishers of the Bainbridge Review, will receive the Edison Uno Civil Rights Award at the JACL National Convention for their support of Japanese Americans during WW2. The Woodwards condemned the government’s eviction of Bainbridge Island Japanese Americans and continued to speak out despite losing advertising and subscription revenue.
• Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka to Be Honored as Japanese American of the Biennium, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL will posthumously honor Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka, the first Japanese American in space who died in the Challenger explosion, as Japanese American of the Biennium. His wife Lorna Onizuka will accept the award at the Sayonara Banquet during the JACL National Convention.
• Mary Tsukamoto Named JACLer of the Biennium, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Florin Chapter member Mary Tsukamoto will be honored as JACLer of the Biennium for her tireless efforts supporting JACL, the LEC redress campaign, and the community. A retired teacher, she has educated the public on WW2 internment through programs, exhibits, and testimony, and has become a resource for the Smithsonian Institution’s upcoming exhibit on Japanese Americans.
• Philip Trezise to Receive Masaoka Distinguished Public Service Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Philip H. Trezise, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, has been named recipient of the Mike M. Masaoka Distinguished Public Service Award to be presented at the JACL National Convention. Trezise served as minister of economic affairs at the American Embassy in Tokyo and is considered a major architect of Japan’s development as an international economic force.
• Howard Cady to Receive Special Recognition for Publishing Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Howard S. Cady, former senior editor and vice president of William Morrow & Co., will be recognized at the JACL National Convention for his role in publishing Bill Hosokawa’s book Nisei in 1969. The book’s success enabled the Japanese American Research Project to commission additional studies increasing public knowledge about Japanese Americans.
• Rose Ochi Profile: Candidate for National JACL Presidency, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rose Ochi, interned at Santa Anita and Rohwer during WW2, is a Los Angeles attorney and city official running for National JACL President. She has held numerous legal and civic positions including executive assistant to Mayor Tom Bradley and various JACL leadership roles.
• Two Vie for National JACL Presidency, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harry Kajihara of Ventura County Chapter and Rose Ochi of East Los Angeles Chapter have filed as candidates for National JACL President. The Nominations Committee posed interview questions to both candidates whose answers are presented in the issue.
• Secretary/Treasurer Race Features Takamine and Nishi, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The National JACL Secretary/Treasurer race features incumbent Gene Takamine of Selanoco Chapter and Alan Nishi of French Camp Chapter. Takamine has held multiple JACL positions since 1980, while Nishi serves as French Camp Chapter president and NCWNP District Board secretary.
• VP for General Operations: Nakashima Running Unopposed, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Incumbent Yosh Nakashima of San Francisco is running unopposed for VP of General Operations, a position responsible for internal affairs including personnel and National Convention matters. Nakashima, a practicing dentist, has pledged to complete chapter president and convention manuals and update committee practices.
• VP for Planning & Development: Marutani Unopposed, by P.C. Staff, page 7. William Marutani, known for his ‘East Wind’ column, is the only announced candidate for VP of Planning & Development, which oversees research, grants, youth programs and long-range goals. Marutani has an extensive civil rights background including serving on the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and becoming the first Asian American judge outside the Pacific Basin.
• VP for Public Affairs Race Features Three Candidates, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Three candidates with longtime JACL participation have filed for VP of Public Affairs, a position overseeing redress and civil rights: Cherry Kinoshita, Kaz Mayeda, and Mike Suzuki. The position is one of the most hotly contested for the coming biennium given its responsibility for the redress legislative push.

Incarceration & Redress

• H.R. 442 Garners New Supporter in Rep. Dean Gallo, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Redress bill H.R. 442 gained another co-sponsor, Rep. Dean Gallo (D-N.J.), announced by JACL-LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara. The bill now has 135 co-sponsors with 130 floor votes in the House, following a meeting between Gallo and redress advocates Tom Kometani and Rev. Kenneth Austenberg.
• Majority Leader Jim Wright, Redress Bill Sponsor, to Deliver Keynote Speech, by P.C. Staff, page 1. House Majority Leader Jim Wright will be the keynote speaker at the JACL National Convention’s Sayonara Banquet, having been instrumental in establishing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and introducing redress legislation named H.R. 442 in honor of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Wright has stated the internment was a grotesque aberration and the bill offers an opportunity to right a grievous wrong.
• Hibakusha to Meet in Chicago During JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 9. A group of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha) living in the Chicago area will meet during the JACL National Convention to discuss health and welfare issues. The meeting, led by Ken Nakano and Dr. James Tsujimura, will address medical examination access and proposed legislation to help U.S. hibakusha.

Community

• Workshop on JA Parenting Slated at Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Nikkei Parenting Workshop at the JACL National Convention will sensitize parents to bicultural values affecting third and fourth generation Nikkei. Cleveland Chapter member Toaru Ishiyama, a clinical psychologist, will moderate the July 22 discussion.
• Hirabayashi Weds, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Gordon Hirabayashi, coram nobis plaintiff and professor emeritus at University of Alberta, married Susan Carnahan on April 25 in Edmonton. The bride is a free-lance radio and TV writer who has resided in Edmonton for 25 years.

Commentary

• The Redress/U.S.-Japan ‘Split’: Candidates Respond, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 4. PC editor Bob Shimabukuro posed a question to presidential candidates Kajihara and Ochi about whether JACL is split into ‘redress’ and ‘U.S.-Japan relations’ factions. Both candidates disputed the characterization of a two-party split, with Kajihara calling for internal education on the issue and Ochi calling the perception manufactured for political purposes.
• Getting the Word Out: LEC Lobbying Campaign Update, by Grayce Uyehara, page 4. Grayce Uyehara reports on LEC’s letter-writing campaign asking the 1465 donors to contact Congress members in support of H.R. 442 and S. 1053. She also describes district lobbying activities and Tom Kometani’s appearance on MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour discussing WW2 internment and redress.
• National-Level Concerns: Redress Division and Membership Decline, by Henry Sakai, page 7. Past PC Board Chair Henry Sakai expresses concern about apparent factional division at the national JACL level between pro-LEC/redress and U.S.-Japan relations supporters. He also criticizes the lack of publicity about candidate elections and warns that declining membership requires an automated membership system and renewed recruitment efforts.
• Raining on the Parade: Statue of Liberty Centennial Overlooks Other Immigrants, by Bill Hosokawa, page 9. Bill Hosokawa criticizes the New York Statue of Liberty centennial celebration for largely overlooking the contributions and struggles of Black, Hispanic, and Asian immigrants who did not arrive through Ellis Island. He argues the celebration should have included a pledge to address ongoing shortcomings in American ideals rather than only self-congratulation.
• The $200,000 Question: Endowment Fund Debate for LEC Funding, by Thomas I. Hara, page 9. Midwest District Governor Thomas Hara argues in favor of the National Board’s endorsement of a $200,000 grant from the JACL Endowment Fund to LEC, calling it necessary given the narrowing window for redress legislation. He contends failing to fund the final redress push risks irreparable damage to JACL’s institutional credibility, regardless of the financial complexities involved.
• A Pressing Need: Questioning the Endowment Fund Restrictions, by Homer Yasui, page 9. Homer Yasui challenges the Endowment Fund Committee’s restrictive interpretation of the fund’s emergency use provisions, questioning whether an original written charter even exists. He argues that the redress effort constitutes a genuine emergency and that failure to act will relegate JACL to being a historical footnote.

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