Reorganizing JACL: the 1993 tri-district conference

Vol. 116, No. 15, April 16, 1993. 8 pages. View this issue

The latest draft of the plan to reorganize the Japanese American Citizens League led the news, as members took another round of input at the tri-district conference in Costa Mesa, Calif. Richard Suenaga reported on the plan’s long path since 1991, and a continuing story on page 7 gave the committee’s answers to member questions. Harry K. Honda wrote on a new automated membership program meant to help reverse a decline from 33,000 to 24,000 members. Gwen Muranaka covered a panel on Los Angeles a year after the riots.

The issue also reported that President Clinton’s budget included funding for redress under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Bill Marutani wrote two columns on the 50th anniversary of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Bill Hosokawa looked at differing views inside JACL. Page 8 describes a UC Berkeley oral history project, and a reader’s letter on page 6 weighs in on a proposed monument at Gila River.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Members Go Another Round on Latest Draft to Change JACL Structure, by Richard Suenaga, page 1. At the tri-district conference in Costa Mesa, Calif., JACL members reviewed the latest revisions to the ongoing reorganization plan for the Japanese American Citizens League. The plan has gone through multiple rounds of debate since 1991, and organizers say the current draft will go back to chapters for final approval after this session’s input.summary_end
• Fully Automated Program on Membership Coming, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. JACL headquarters’ 1984 bid to automate membership renewals is expected to reach all chapters by the end of June, following a pilot program with 17 chapters. National officials hope the new system will help reverse the steady decline in national membership, which has fallen from 33,000 to 24,000 over the past decade.
• Conferences, Meetings Set, page 3. Several JACL district conferences and meetings were announced, including the Midwest District Council meeting in Chicago, the Mountain Plains District Council meeting in San Antonio, and a tri-district conference in Cleveland themed ‘The Real World of Asian Americans.’ A New York conference titled ‘Strength in Unity: The Evolving Asian American Experience’ will also feature JACL national president Lillian Kimura.
• Membership Workshop Outlines Recruitment and Retention Strategies, page 5. At the tri-district conference, JACL leaders including Alan Nishi and Kimberly Tachiki presented strategies for boosting chapter membership through marketing, targeted handouts, and understanding why new members join. Headquarters staffer Carol Harada also detailed the step-by-step process for tracking membership renewals under the new automated system.
• Revising the Reorganization Plan: Committee Responds to Member Questions, page 7. Continuing coverage details specific committee responses to member questions about the JACL reorganization plan, including staff functions, district council terms, and cost impacts of restructuring. The plan retains an independent Pacific Citizen Board of Directors rather than placing the newspaper under a national communications committee.

Community

• L.A. Tensions Still Exist, Says Conference Panel, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. A tri-district conference panel discussed the lingering racial tension and economic damage a year after the Los Angeles riots, noting many Korean American businesses have received little real assistance. Panelists including Stewart Kwoh warned that an acquittal in the Rodney King trial could spark renewed violence, and speakers debated coalition-building strategies among ethnic communities.
• Asian Americans Talk About Pressures of Outmarriage, by Harry K. Honda, page 3. A tri-district conference workshop on intercultural relationships examined the rising rates of Japanese American outmarriage, from 2% in 1924-33 to 49% in 1972 in Los Angeles County, alongside comparative data on other Asian American groups. Panelists shared personal experiences with interracial and interreligious relationships, and discussed generational and cultural pressures surrounding dating and marriage choices.
• Tensions: L.A. Panel Discusses Coalition Building After Riots, page 5. Continuing coverage of the tri-district panel on Los Angeles riot aftermath detailed efforts by Stewart Kwoh’s organization to file lawsuits on behalf of Korean American merchants and build grassroots economic development coalitions. Panelists Yasmin Tong and Annie Cho debated whether ethnic communities should focus on internal solidarity or broader coalition-building first.
• Storytelling Time: UC Berkeley Oral History Project Documents Japanese American Students, page 8. An oral history project at UC Berkeley is gathering and recording the stories of Japanese American students whose lives were disrupted by wartime internment, sponsored by the university’s Asian American Studies Department. The class of 1942 was honored with a graduation ceremony on Sept. 16, 1992, and videotapes and written accounts will be made available for scholarly and public education.
• Community Briefs: New Locations, Grants and Services Announced, page 8. Several community organizations announced updates including the Asian Pacific Family Center’s move to a new San Gabriel Valley location, Keiro Services’ continuing search for a Clinical Services Officer, and the Little Tokyo Community Development Advisory Committee’s grants program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the WWII internment. The Asian Pacific Health Service Center in Seattle also announced a name change to the Asian Pacific Center on Aging.

National

• Redress, Education Get Funding: No Snips Here in Clinton Budget, page 1. President Clinton’s fiscal year 1994 budget includes $5 million for the public redress education fund established by the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, plus $100 million to complete individual redress payments. JACL officials welcomed the funding but urged continued advocacy to ensure it survives the congressional appropriations process.
• Public Policy Must Reflect Growing Asian American Population, Experts Say, page 1. The Asian Pacific American Public Policy Institute released a report calling for new policy paradigms to address the rapidly growing and diversifying Asian Pacific American population, projected to reach 20.2 million by 2020. LEAP president J.D. Hokoyama and other scholars warned that ignoring internal diversity and problems within the community risks marginalizing Asian Pacific Americans from the political mainstream.
• Panel Gives Tips on Getting Involved in Political Process, by Richard Suenaga, page 4. A tri-district conference panel of Asian American political staffers and JACL chapter leaders discussed the low rate of Asian American political participation and voting, offering strategies for increasing engagement. Panelists urged building coalitions with other ethnic and community groups and stressed personal involvement, from volunteering to voter registration drives.
• Policy Report Details Population, Cultural and Health Care Issues, page 7. Continuing coverage of the Asian Pacific American Public Policy Institute report details projections showing foreign-born individuals will form the majority of the Asian Pacific American population by 2020, alongside calls for cultural preservation, language rights protections, and expanded mental health services. The report also highlights electoral redistricting as vital for increasing Asian American political representation in key U.S. cities.

Commentary

• Diverging Views, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa reflects on how JACL, once a homogenous ethnic organization united by shared discrimination, has matured into a diverse body with members holding conflicting views on issues like gay rights and political controversies. He cites disputes over Pacific Citizen’s coverage of the military gay ban, the Marge Schott censure, and Colorado’s Amendment 2 as evidence of growing ideological fragmentation within JACL.
• Triple Titles, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Marutani recounts the 50th anniversary celebration of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Honolulu, noting the three names by which the unit was known: ‘the little iron men,’ ‘the terrible Turks,’ and ‘the gentlemen soldiers.’ He shares a story of veteran Shimamura’s wartime kindness to a French family, which was reciprocated decades later when one of the girls he helped attended the anniversary celebration as his guest.
• East Wind, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Marutani continues his reflection on the 442nd’s legacy, describing the monument erected by French villagers in Bruyeres and Biffontaine in tribute to the unit’s valor. He connects this French gesture of gratitude to the Japanese concept of ‘giri’ and cites Hawaii Governor John Waihee’s acknowledgment that the 442nd’s sacrifices helped secure statehood and other rights for minorities.
• Gila River Monument Proposal Exciting, by Vaasa Oishe, page 6. A letter to the editor responds to a March 12 article about a proposed monument at the Gila River camp, offering detailed suggestions for renovating the existing Honor Roll memorial and making the campsite more accessible to visitors. The writers, who were born at Gila River, propose informational packages, marked building sites, and involvement of the local Indian community in managing visitor access.
• Too Much Power at National Level, He Says, page 6. A letter to the editor agrees with Denny Yasuhara’s earlier column criticizing the centralization of authority within JACL’s national office at the expense of local chapters and districts. The writer, a retired chapter board member, argues that national leadership should reconsider recent policy directions that have alienated grassroots membership.

Obituaries

• Ikuro ‘Ike’ Wada, page 7. Ikuro ‘Ike’ Wada, 76, a well-known prewar Hollister High athlete, died Jan. 10 at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Calif., after a brief illness. Services were held at Westview Presbyterian Church in Watsonville, with interment following at Pajaro Memorial Park beside his mother.

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