Redress campaign gathers support in Los Angeles

Vol. 90, No. 77, January 25, 1980. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page of this issue was given to the redress campaign. About 70 community leaders from Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura Counties met at a Los Angeles dinner to back legislation for a Presidential commission on wartime relocation and internment of civilians, hearing from Mike Masaoka, Minoru Yasui, John Tateishi, Karl Nobuyuki and Katsuma Mukaeda. The Pacific Citizen also reported on a March 22 testimonial dinner for the five Japanese American members of Congress, JACL’s $13,425 raised for the redress fund drive, and John Tateishi’s column on plans for the 1980 campaign.

Other pages include a report on the death of former Justice William O. Douglas and his part in the 1942 Evacuation cases, and Bill Hosokawa’s column on new Korean immigrants in Denver. Page 6 carries chapter installation news from Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Sonoma County and elsewhere, along with John J. Saito’s account of a hearing over a license plate. The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center building was also handed over to its board.

What’s in this issue

National

• Southland Leaders Rally to Support Redress Legislation, page 1. About 70 community leaders gathered at a Los Angeles dinner to support a national JACL effort seeking legislation for a Presidential commission on wartime relocation and internment of civilians. Speakers including Mike Masaoka, Minoru Yasui, John Tateishi, Karl Nobuyuki and Katsuma Mukaeda urged passage of bills to establish hearings on the Evacuation.
• Census Bureau Refused to Let War Dept. Have Nikkei Names, page 1. Census Bureau director Vincent P. Barabba pledged that the 1980 census would protect the privacy of all respondents, including illegal immigrants, and would not be turned over to law enforcement. He cited the Bureau’s 1941 refusal to give the War Department names of Japanese Americans despite anti-Japanese hysteria after Pearl Harbor.
• Mineta in Last ’70s House Debate, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta participated in the final House session of the 1970s on Dec. 31, joined by only two others at a pro forma session during the Iranian crisis. House leaders wanted to remain technically ‘in session’ so Congress could be called back quickly.
• Matsunaga Heads Peace Academy Study Group, page 6. Sen. Spark Matsunaga was elected chairman of the newly established federal Commission on Proposals for a National Academy of Peace and Conflict Resolution at its first meeting. The commission must submit a report to the President and Congress by October 1980.

Incarceration & Redress

• Testimonial Dinner for Nikkei Members of Congress Set for March 22, page 1. A fund-raising testimonial dinner honoring the five Japanese American members of Congress will be held March 22 at the Bonaventure Hotel to support the JACL redress campaign. The event, priced at $100 per plate, aims to raise $220,000 for the redress committee’s efforts.
• Redress Testimonial Dinner Debate Over Terminology, page 8. Some guests at the Los Angeles redress dinner suggested the word ‘redress’ be left out of the upcoming testimonial event name, arguing that redress should come only after damages are properly assessed. Karl Nobuyuki stressed that legislators in Washington need to see JACL’s own commitment and preparedness before offering support.

Community

• Testimonial Set for Boys Club Head Dave Nakagawa, page 1. A testimonial dinner honoring Dave Nakagawa for his 25 years of service to youth in the Boys’ Club movement in Pasadena will be held Feb. 3 at the Brookside Clubhouse Restaurant. Nakagawa is retiring Jan. 31 as director of the Boys’ Club of Pasadena.
• JACCC Builders Transfer Over Building, page 1. Ohbayashi America Corp. transferred the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center building to the JACCC board of directors, marking the end of a five-year design-construction effort. Keys to the six-story building were presented by Ohbayashi America president Shunji Shinoda to JACCC president George J. Doizaki.
• WLA Cookbook Proceeds Aid Six Different Projects in 1979, page 6. West Los Angeles JACL Auxiliary’s East-West cookbooks generated proceeds of $3,800 in 1979, distributed to projects including JACCC, the JACL redress study commission, and a scholarship fund. The chapter’s philanthropy committee, chaired by Eiko Iwata, managed the distributions under outgoing president Haru Nakata.
• Karl Nobuyuki to Be ‘Roasted’ in Gardena, page 6. National JACL executive director Karl Nobuyuki returns to Gardena Valley to be honored at a roast event Jan. 26 at the Holiday Inn in Torrance, featuring actor Yuki Shimoda and Ron Wakabayashi as emcees. The Pan Asian JACL chapter event includes entertainment by singer Butch Tamura and dancing.
• Santa Barbara JACL Installation Dinner Rescheduled, page 6. Santa Barbara JACL’s installation dinner has been moved to Feb. 16 at the Montecito Country Club. Chapter dues for 1980 have increased to $22 for singles and $40 for couples.
• San Francisco JACL Installation Set with Nobuyuki as Speaker, page 6. Karl Nobuyuki will be guest speaker at the San Francisco JACL installation dinner Feb. 9 at the Holiday Inn on Van Ness. Tickets are $13.50 per person available through board members.
• Suzu Kunitani Returns as San Mateo JACL President, page 6. Suzu Kunitani returns as San Mateo JACL chapter president for 1980, succeeding Terry Terauchi after a year as recording secretary. The installation dinner is set for March 1 at Shadow’s Restaurant with Karl Nobuyuki as guest speaker, and a rejuvenated youth program is drawing high interest.
• Sonoma County JACL Holds Joyous Installation Tradition, page 6. Nearly 300 people attended Sonoma County JACL’s installation banquet at Enmanji Buddhist Hall in Sebastopol, a nearly 20-year tradition co-sponsored with the local Buddhist Church. J.D. Hokoyama swore in new officers headed by Mark Hayashi, and Shiz Tsujihara was honored as JACLer of the Year.
• West Los Angeles Teens Represent Chapter at Presidential Classroom, page 6. Marianne Inouye, Mari Muki, and Lily Shimahara, all from University High School, are representing West Los Angeles JACL at the week-long Presidential Classroom for Young Americans. Scholarship and award winners were also announced at the chapter’s November installation dinner.
• White River Valley Installation Dinner Jan. 30, page 6. The White River Valley Civic League of JACL will hold its installation dinner Jan. 30 at the Turtle Too Restaurant with Edward Garre as speaker. Harvey Watanabe was re-elected president for another term.
• Saint Shinran Statue Recovered Unmarred After Theft, page 7. A bronze statue of Saint Shinran stolen Dec. 21 from a San Jose Buddhist Temple was recovered unmarred, to the relief of the local Buddhist community. Police traced the recovery through a license plate and identified the owner of the vehicle seen fleeing the scene.

JACL

• EXECOM, Chapters Raise $13,425 for Redress Fund Drive, page 1. JACL’s EXECOM members unanimously voted to contribute $1,200 to the national redress fund drive, demonstrating leadership on the issue according to Minoru Yasui. Combined with chapter contributions responding to a ‘dollar per chapter member’ appeal, total donations have reached $13,425, with 86% coming from chapters.
• Alameda JACL Installs First Sansei Woman President, page 6. Nancy Tajima becomes Alameda JACL’s first Sansei woman president, succeeding Yas Koike, with installation set for Feb. 2 at the Neptune’s Galleon. Guest speaker Chuck Kubokawa will discuss his work experiences with NASA.

Obituaries

• Ex-Justice Wm. Douglas Acts Recalled, page 1. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, 81, died this past week, the last surviving justice who had ruled on the 1942 Evacuation cases. Douglas joined the curfew case rulings against Minoru Yasui and Gordon Hirabayashi and the Korematsu decision, but wrote the majority opinion in the Mitsuye Endo case affirming loyal citizens could not be detained.

Commentary

• Affirmative Action, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. The author reflects on China’s affirmative action policies for its 56 minority groups, noting that minority students receive greater subsidies and preferential treatment in hiring when qualifications are equal. He contrasts this with the still-controversial status of affirmative action in the United States.
• ’80 Redress Campaign, by John Tateishi, page 4. Tateishi reviews 1979 as a productive year for the JACL redress campaign, highlighting the introduction of S1647 and HR 5499 in Congress and the ‘dollar per chapter member’ fundraising drive. He outlines plans for 1980 including reconstituting the National Committee for Redress and pursuing congressional hearings toward final resolution of the issue.
• Citizen Membership Letter, by Shigeki Hiratsuka, page 4. A letter to the editor quotes Mike Masaoka’s defense of JACL’s citizenship-based membership, arguing it has kept JACL viable as the major Japanese American organization. The writer urges convention delegates to maintain this principle, noting that elected officials respond to voters.
• History Project Inquiry, by Mitsu Carl, page 4. A letter writer asks for information about a Japanese history/oral history project in Los Angeles to which she wants to forward a taped interview with an Issei. The editor’s response identifies the Japanese American Oral History Project at Cal State Fullerton Library.
• The New Koreans in Our Midst, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa describes attending a Korean Association of Colorado Christmas dinner dance in Denver, reminiscing about similar JACL dances decades earlier that have since faded from Nisei community life. He reflects on the determination (doryoku) of new Korean immigrants and predicts their rapid economic and social advancement, benefiting from civil rights gains won by earlier Japanese and Chinese Americans.
• Comedy of Errors, by John J. Saito, page 6. Saito recounts testifying alongside Ron Wakabayashi at a hearing regarding a California license plate reading ‘JAPCAR,’ which they argued was derogatory. The hearing included tense and humorous exchanges about the word ‘Banzai,’ which the plate holder had originally wanted, before the DMV counsel indicated the plates would likely be recalled.

Arts & Entertainment

• Uwate to Wear ‘Chef Kiku’ Hat, page 8. Radio personality and gourmet chef Matao Uwate, a Downtown L.A. JACLer, won honors at a San Francisco cooking competition with his preparation of Oyako Donburi. Judges included Consul General Hiroshi Kitamura and other notable figures, marking a new introduction of Oriental cooking arts to Western audiences.

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