Elderly Asian SSI recipients, state hiring quotas and the JACL constitution

Vol. 90, No. 78, February 1, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

Immigration and civil rights led the front page. Rep. Robert Matsui asked INS Acting Commissioner David Crosland to investigate reports that officers were harassing elderly Asian SSI recipients who had traveled abroad. The California Supreme Court upheld racial quotas in state affirmative action hiring in a 4-3 decision written by Justice Tobriner, with Justice Mosk dissenting. JACL business ran alongside: the National Executive Committee was called to meet Feb. 1-3 in San Francisco under President Clifford Uyeda, with redress and constitutional revisions on its agenda. On the commentary pages, Raymond S. Uno wrote about revising the JACL constitution ahead of the convention.

Also inside: an editorial on the World War II evacuation and the claim of military necessity, Joe Oyama’s report on Yuji Ichioka’s research into early Japanese immigrants, and Minoru Yasui’s planned keynote for the Orange County installation dinner. Harry Honda described the roast for Karl Nobuyuki, and Sachi Seko and Clifford Uyeda contributed lighter columns.

What’s in this issue

National

• INS Called on Harassing Asian Aged, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Robert Matsui asked INS Acting Commissioner David Crosland to investigate reports that elderly Asian SSI recipients traveling abroad were being harassed by immigration officers. Advocates say some officers violate protective guidelines, intimidating seniors into forfeiting SSI benefits for fear of losing residency status.
• Affirmative Action Hiring by State of Calif. Upheld, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Supreme Court upheld racial quotas in affirmative action hiring plans in a 4-3 decision written by Justice Tobriner, addressing racial imbalance in the Sacramento County district attorney’s office. Justice Mosk dissented, calling quotas a form of ‘new racism’ and discriminatory.
• Overflowing Cal. Prisons Spur Expansion Plans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. State corrections director Jerry Enomoto will present the Legislature a plan to build 11 new prisons costing near $1 billion to address overcrowding in California’s 12 prisons. He favors building most new facilities in Southern California, though siting remains politically difficult.
• JAL Increases Air Fare to Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japan Air Lines scrapped its group affinity tour fares that had made JACL’s travel program attractive, replacing them with APEX and group inclusive tour fares at increased rates. New one-way economy and first-class fares also rose about 10%.

Community

• Yoshikawa Facing 8 in Primaries, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Yoshikawa, appointed to the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors in 1974, will seek reelection to the First Supervisorial District seat against seven other candidates. A longtime JACLer and professional photographer, he previously served on the Delta College Board of Trustees.
• Buddhists Raise $17,000 for Relief, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Buddhist Churches of America’s Cambodian relief appeal raised nearly $17,000 as of Jan. 13, according to Rev. Ryo Imamura. Over 14,000 appeals were mailed with about 1,500 returned so far.
• Kosai Heads Major Transit Agency in Tacoma Metro Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yoshio Kosai was named executive director of the Pierce County Public Transit Benefit Area Authority after serving as acting executive director. He is also president of the Tacoma Buddhist Church and a former Puyallup Valley JACL chapter president.
• PSW Regional Office Burglarized, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Southwest JACL Regional Office in Los Angeles was burglarized over the Jan. 19-20 weekend, with losses exceeding $5,000 including typewriters and office equipment. Regional director John Saito called it a professional job since bolted machines were removed cleanly.
• Min Yasui to Keynote Orange County Inaugural, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Minoru Yasui, executive director of the Denver Commission on Community Relations, will keynote the Orange County JACL installation dinner Feb. 16 and address the PSW District Council the following day. Yasui was among the first Nisei to challenge the WWII curfew law’s constitutionality and was jailed for his stand.
• Rev. Goldwater Marks 50 Years as Buddhist Priest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former Young Buddhist Association members will honor Rev. Julius A. Goldwater at a surprise dinner Feb. 10 at Senshin Buddhist Temple, where he once ran a postwar hostel helping Japanese Americans find jobs and housing. Goldwater was ordained at Hongwanji headquarters in Kyoto in 1930 and aided Buddhist communities throughout WWII internment.
• NC-WN Budget at $10,000, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Northern California-Western Nevada JACL District Council will hold its first quarterly session of 1980 in Turlock on Feb. 10, hosted by Livingston-Merced JACL. The council’s 1980 budget remains about the same as last year at $10,000, with $7,576 expended in 1979 against $11,297 in revenue.

JACL

• EXECOM Called for Feb. 1-3, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL’s National Executive Committee will meet Feb. 1-3 in San Francisco with President Clifford Uyeda presiding. Unfinished business includes the preliminary 1980-82 budget, redress, constitutional revisions and other committee matters.
• JACL Credit Union Declares 7% Again, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National JACL Credit Union declared a continued 7% annual dividend plus a 2% bonus for the 1979 fourth quarter, according to treasurer Ichiro Doi. Two board seats are up for election this month as current directors Shake Ushio and Saige Aramaki step down.
• Mrs. Kato Adds to Scholarship Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mrs. Shizuko Kato of Los Angeles donated another $1,000 toward the Magoichi Kato Memorial Scholarship administered by National JACL. Brochures for the 1980 scholarship program are now available from National JACL Headquarters.

Obituaries

• Henry Tanaka’s Dad Dies at 92, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Frank T. Tanaka, 92, father of past national JACL president Henry Tanaka, died Jan. 4 at an Oberlin nursing home. A lifelong chef who arrived from Fukuoka-ken in 1904, he became famous for his cooking at Tule Lake’s Block 15 during the camp years.

Commentary

• Eyeglasses, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. JACL President Clifford Uyeda recounts observations from a trip to China, noting the scarcity of eyeglasses among workers including skilled embroiderers, despite available medical care. He describes eye exercises practiced in Chinese schools and factories as an alternative to corrective lenses.
• Leave ‘Em Laughing, by Harry Honda, page 4. Editor Harry Honda recounts the lighthearted ‘Karl-Yaki’ roast honoring National JACL Executive Director Karl Nobuyuki, attended by about 300 people in Torrance. Various chapter leaders delivered comedic tributes and gag gifts before Nobuyuki delivered his own humorous rebuttal.
• Jinxes Run in Threes, by Sachi Seko, page 4. Sachi Seko humorously describes a string of household disasters including a leaking hot water tank and a backed-up kitchen sink, drawing on a superstition that bad luck runs in threes. She recalls her Japanese grandmother’s ritual with fish eyes meant to ward off misfortune.
• Industrial Challenge, by Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 4. Nakajima argues that racial discrimination against Asian Americans persists despite assumptions otherwise, and challenges the community to pursue leadership roles in politics and industry. He encourages young Japanese Americans to pursue higher education and enter corporate leadership positions.
• Presidential Pointers on JACL Constitution, by Raymond S. Uno, page 5. Former National JACL President Raymond Uno reflects on the importance of JACL as a voice for Japanese Americans and discusses the need for constitutional revision ahead of the upcoming Constitutional Convention. He emphasizes preserving avenues for dissent and democratic decision-making within the organization.
• Military Necessity, by P.C. Staff, page 6. An editorial examines lesser-known facts about the WWII Japanese American evacuation, noting that Gen. DeWitt initially opposed removing citizens before later defending it with his infamous ‘A Jap’s a Jap’ remark. The piece reveals that Army General Headquarters recommended against evacuating citizens even as President Roosevelt had already authorized it, undermining the ‘military necessity’ rationale.

In-Depth

• 1,000 Issei Hands Existed Among Us, by Joe Oyama, page 8. Columnist Joe Oyama reports on UCLA historian Yuji Ichioka’s research on early Japanese immigrants, describing the ‘Sojourner’ period (1885-1908) of students and laborers and the subsequent ‘Permanent Settler’ period marked by the 1924 Exclusion Act. The piece details the houseboy experience, labor contracting systems, and the reality of early Japanese immigrant women, many of whom were prostitutes according to U.S. Census data.

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