Vol. 104, No. 9, March 6, 1987. 8 pages. View this issue
New co-sponsors for the House and Senate redress bills led the front page, announced by JACL-LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara. The Senate bill stood at 44 co-sponsors and H.R. 442 at 132. The paper also reported that the retrial of Ronald Ebens in the Vincent Chin case was moved from Detroit to Cincinnati, and that Day of Remembrance programs in Gardena and Chicago drew comparisons between the World War II incarceration (often called internment) and a plan to detain Arab immigrants. Reporters J.K. Yamamoto and Jane B. Kaihatsu covered those events.
Inside are a Los Angeles County report on a rise in hate crime, the Smithsonian’s Japanese American exhibit opening date, and Harry K. Honda’s pieces on a proposed JACL personnel manual and the 1000 Club’s 40th anniversary. Chizu Iiyama wrote for International Women’s Day, and the letters page carried readers’ reactions to editorial changes.
What’s in this issue
National
- Redress Bills Get Sponsors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. New co-sponsors have been added to both the House and Senate redress bills, announced by JACL-LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara. The Senate bill now has 44 co-sponsors with Sen. Spark Matsunaga planning to introduce it once it reaches 51, while the House bill, H.R. 442, has grown to 132 co-sponsors.
- Chin Trial Moved to Ohio, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The retrial of Ronald Ebens, convicted and later acquitted on appeal of violating Vincent Chin’s civil rights, has been moved from Detroit to Cincinnati due to prejudicial pre-trial publicity. Judge Anna Diggs Taylor cited extensive media coverage, including a feature on Chin’s mother, as grounds for the change of venue, with the new trial scheduled for April 21.
- Opening Date, Ceremonies Set for Smithsonian Exhibit on Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit on Japanese Americans will open Oct. 1 as part of the nationwide Constitution bicentennial celebration, with dedication ceremonies at the Capitol featuring Sen. Spark Matsunaga. A memorial service for Nisei WW2 war dead will also be held at Arlington National Cemetery with Sen. Daniel Inouye giving the keynote speech.
- L.A. County Commission Reports Rise in Hate Crime, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. A Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations report found racially motivated incidents reached unprecedented levels in 1986, a 346 percent increase over 1985, with a notable rise in victimization of Asians. The commission cited underreporting among recent immigrants and outlined plans to expand outreach and law enforcement cooperation.
- Racial Incidents Report Details Causes and Commission Response, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations found most 1986 hate crimes remain unsolved and are largely committed by minors rather than organized hate groups. The commission outlined plans to expand community outreach, assist law enforcement, and urged the Board of Supervisors to adopt recommendations addressing hate crimes.
- Henry Kuualoha Giugni Named Senate Sergeant at Arms, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Henry Kuualoha Giugni, former administrative assistant to Sen. Daniel Inouye, was appointed Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate on Jan. 6. Giugni, of part-Hawaiian ancestry, is the first Asian Pacific person to hold this position, overseeing Senate security, computer center, and telecommunications.
Incarceration & Redress
- Plan to Intern Arabs Criticized at Day of Remembrance Event, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. Speakers at a Day of Remembrance program in Gardena, Calif., drew parallels between the WW2 internment of Japanese Americans and an INS contingency plan to detain Arab immigrants. Rep. Mervyn Dymally and others criticized government stereotyping of Arabs and Muslims and praised public support for the civil liberties of Palestinians arrested in Los Angeles.
- Internment of Arabs Criticized, NCRR Awards Presented, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Continuing coverage of the Day of Remembrance event detailed Rep. Mervyn Dymally’s remarks comparing government treatment of Arab Americans to the WWII internment, and activist Valentin Asiddao’s warning about the INS contingency plan. NCRR presented awards to Rev. Paul Nakamura and draft resister Frank Emi for their contributions to the redress movement.
- NCJAR Suit’s Chances of Success Assessed, by Jane B. Kaihatsu, page 6. At a Chicago Day of Remembrance event, attorneys Ellen Godby Carson and Peter Irons explained the status of the NCJAR lawsuit seeking damages for Japanese Americans wrongfully interned during WW2, soon to be heard by the Supreme Court. They detailed the legal issues at stake, including the statute of limitations and government claims about military necessity, and expressed optimism about the case’s chances.
JACL
- Changes in JACL Personnel Manual Proposed, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. A working draft of a new JACL personnel policy and procedures manual was distributed at the National JACL Board and staff meeting in San Francisco, aiming to bring the organization into compliance with employment laws. The draft, developed by an ad hoc committee led by Peggy Liggett, proposes changes to leave policies, vacation accrual, holidays, and salary structures.
- Four Decades of ‘Whing-Dinging’, by Harry Honda, page 4. JACL’s 1000 Club will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Nov. 21 at the Intermountain District Council convention in Jackpot, Nevada. The article recounts the club’s founding in 1947 in Idaho Falls by Hito Okada and recalls the raucous first ‘whing ding’ dinner in Salt Lake City in 1948.
- Credit Union Meeting Set for March 14, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The National JACL Credit Union will hold its 43rd annual meeting March 14 at the Sheraton Triad Hotel in Salt Lake City, featuring a social hour, dinner, and dancing. Three board positions are up for election, and as of Dec. 31, 1986, the Credit Union’s assets stood at $8,807,871.20 with 2,981 members.
Obituaries
- Rev. Francis M. Hayashi, Retired Minister, Dies at 89, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rev. Francis M. Hayashi, a retired minister who last served at Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose, died Feb. 18 at age 89. A native of Japan, he was interned at Minidoka during WW2 before being released to teach Japanese at the Army Language School, and is survived by his wife and three sons.
Commentary
- The Reshaping of the IRA, page 4. A financial column explains upcoming changes to Individual Retirement Account tax deductions under new 1986 tax legislation, detailing income thresholds affecting deductibility for covered and uncovered workers. The piece advises readers to maximize IRA contributions before the April 15 deadline and explains the benefits of tax-deferred growth and rollovers from pension distributions.
- International Women’s Day, by Chizu Iiyama, page 4. Chizu Iiyama, co-chair of the National JACL Women’s Concerns Committee, reflects on shared struggles of women worldwide for peace, recalling encounters with women in Peru, Sweden, England, and Russia. She connects these global concerns to Nikkei women’s unique perspective on nuclear war given ties to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and calls for solidarity on International Women’s Day.
- Another Leader Lost, by P.C. Staff, page 5. An editorial tribute mourns the death of Robert A. Schaden, four-time president of the Columbia Basin Chapter in Moses Lake, who died Jan. 14 in Spokane. Schaden developed the first Japanese language program in eastern Washington high schools and helped establish the Moses Lake Judo Club and the Columbia Basin JACL Chapter.
- Letters to the Editor, by Frank F. Sakamoto, Shigeo Yuge, Tom Masamori, Wimpy Hiroto, E. Mizoguchi, Michiko Sakimoto, page 5. Readers write in on topics including JACL convention programming and membership outreach, objections to the use of the term ‘Jap’ in a poem by Garrett Hongo, and strong reactions to the discontinuation of Bill Hosokawa’s column ‘From the Frying Pan.’ Several readers express disappointment or threaten to cancel subscriptions over editorial changes to the paper.
Community
- Service to Bay Area Youth to Be Recognized, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Japanese Community Youth Council’s annual awards dinner in San Francisco will honor community leaders including Rev. Cecil Williams, KPIX-TV anchor Wendy Tokuda, Darryl Inaba, and law student Diane Matsuda for their service to Bay Area youth. The event will also unveil a new JCYC business venture, Uncle George’s Produce, aimed at funding youth programs.
- Chapter Contributes $600 to LEC Fund Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Newly elected Santa Barbara JACL president Mike Hide and treasurer Ikey Kakimoto presented a $600 donation to the LEC fund drive during an installation dinner held Feb. 7 at Montecito Country Club. The donation was received by fund drive chair and JACL president Harry Kajihara.
Arts & Entertainment
- Asian American Writers and Filmmakers to Discuss Work, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Janice Mirikitani, Emiko Omori, Peter Wang and Nellie Wong will participate in ‘An Evening of Asian American Writers and Filmmakers’ on March 26 in San Francisco, hosted by KPIX-TV anchor Wendy Tokuda. The event, part of the ‘On Art and Politics’ series, will benefit the Women’s Foundation and features artists working in poetry, film, and theater.
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