Past JACL presidents look back, and the New Year begins

Vol. 116, No. 1, January 1, 1993. 16 pages. View this issue

Looking back at JACL’s leadership was the main subject of this New Year’s issue. Past national presidents Hank Tanaka, James Murakami, Patrick Okura, Floyd Shimomura and Shig Sugiyama each wrote about their terms and gave a personal update. Okura recalled marching in the 1963 March on Washington, and Shimomura wrote about redress as the defining issue of his tenure. Current president Lillian C. Kimura contributed a New Year’s greeting and a column on holiday traditions, and urged members to support the Legacy Fund campaign.

Also inside: Gwen Muranaka reported on Asian Pacific American leaders pressing the Clinton transition team over cabinet posts, including Norman Mineta’s consideration for Transportation Secretary. Wartime accounts by Sud Morishita and Mamaro Wakasugi described the emergency JACL meeting in San Francisco. Tom Kometani honored the people behind redress, and a roundup listed newly installed 1993 chapter officers.

What’s in this issue

National

• Asian Americans Concerned With Cabinet Posts, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. Asian Pacific American leaders met with Clinton transition chairman Vernon Jordan to press for greater consideration of qualified Asian Pacific American candidates for administration posts. JACL National Director Dennis Hayashi said Jordan was receptive and noted the importance of building a pipeline of appointees for future advancement.’
• Cabinet (Continued), by Gwen Muranaka, page 3. The article continues coverage of Rep. Norman Mineta’s consideration for Transportation Secretary, a post that went to Federico Pena. Mineta’s spokesman confirmed he met with Clinton but preferred to remain chair of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee, and Mineta praised Pena’s transportation experience.

Commentary

• Bringing in the New Year, by Lillian C. Kimura, page 1. JACL National President Lillian Kimura reflects on New Year’s traditions among Japanese American families, including preparing osechi dishes and mochi-making gatherings with fellow JACL members in the New York area. She reminisces about learning the customs from her mother and continuing them with friends across the country.
• New Year’s Greeting, by Lillian C. Kimura, page 1. JACL National President Lillian Kimura extends New Year’s wishes to JACL members and friends, calling for continued work toward a better and safer world. She urges members to participate actively in their chapters and contribute to the Legacy Fund campaign to secure JACL’s future.
• Views from Past Presidents: New Year Wishes, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Several JACL members and officials, including youth representative Gary Mayeda, share their wishes for JACL and its chapters for the new year. Mayeda calls for greater compassion, stronger youth involvement, and clearer national voting procedures within the organization.
• Redress Heroes, by Tom Kometani, page 6. Tom Kometani reflects on the long struggle for redress starting with Edison Uno’s 1970 resolution, honoring key figures including Min Yasui, Harry Kajihara, Grayce Uyehara, Jerry Enomoto, Grant Ujifusa, and Cherry Kinoshita. He emphasizes that the fight for equity continues and calls for support of the JACL Legacy Fund.
• Change and Response, by Grayce Uyehara, page 6. Grayce Uyehara discusses the transition of JACL leadership from Nisei to Sansei and Yonsei generations highlighted at the 32nd biennial convention in Denver. She notes the completion of redress payments this year and stresses the importance of securing $50 million for the Education Trust Fund.
• Uyehara Continued: JACL Must Move Faster and Smarter, by Grayce Uyehara, page 11. Uyehara argues JACL must adapt its programs to rapidly changing economic and social conditions to remain relevant to Sansei and Yonsei generations. She invokes Minoru Yasui’s rallying call that

JACL

• All Aboard: 1993 Chapter Officers Installed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. This roundup lists newly installed officers and boards for numerous JACL chapters including Clovis, Contra Costa, Florin, Fresno, Salt Lake, Livingston-Merced, San Diego, San Mateo, Delano, Fowler, Reedley, and Parlier. Each chapter’s incoming president, vice presidents, and committee chairs are named for the 1993 term.
• Shig Sugiyama: Personal Update, by Shig Sugiyama, page 4. Former JACL National President Shig Sugiyama (1974-76) recounts his career with the U.S. Civil Service Commission and later the Office of Special Counsel after his term ended. He describes his work developing the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and his subsequent retirement in Washington, D.C.
• Establishing Internal Order: My Term in Retrospect, by Hank Tanaka, page 4. Hank Tanaka, JACL National President 1972-74, recalls the challenges of his term including the hiring of new Washington staff Dave Ushio and Barry Matsumoto and JACL’s growing role during the Nixon administration. He reflects on the era of new opportunities and challenges facing the organization at the time.
• Personal Update: Hank Tanaka, by Hank Tanaka, page 4. Hank Tanaka describes his retirement activities including volunteering as chair of a state psychiatric hospital’s citizens advisory board and taking aerobics classes. He also mentions his growing family of grandchildren spread across several states.
• Finding a Home for JACL, by James Murakami, page 4. James Murakami, JACL National President 1976-78, recalls the debate over establishing a permanent JACL headquarters on the West Coast versus Washington, D.C. He credits executive director David Ushio with ushering in an era of innovative program and fiscal development despite risk and confrontation.
• Personal Update: James Murakami, by James Murakami, page 4. James Murakami describes his post-JACL community involvement including serving as president of the Santa Rosa East Rotary and on the boards of the Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center and Sonoma County JACL chapter. He also mentions continuing to run his engineering firm despite recently going on Medicare.
• To Make Intelligent Choices, by James Murakami, page 4. Murakami recalls Sen. S.I. Hayakawa’s skepticism about the $25,000 redress amount at the Salt Lake convention, which JACL later proved achievable. He urges the new Sansei/Yonsei board to build coalitions with other Asian American groups to combat rising anti-Asian violence and to make intelligent choices based on JACL’s core values.
• Marching With Martin Luther King, by Patrick Okura, page 4. Patrick Okura, JACL National President 1962-64, recalls the pivotal 1962 National Board meeting in Omaha where JACL crafted its first civil rights statement and decided to march in the 1963 March on Washington. He describes marching alongside Mike Masaoka and other JACLers as one of the proudest moments of his life.
• Personal Update: Patrick Okura, by Patrick Okura, page 4. Patrick Okura describes his 13 years at the National Institute of Mental Health followed by consulting work and founding several organizations including the Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation. He details ongoing advocacy work supporting young Asian Pacific Americans entering human services fields.
• JACL: ‘A Matter of Spirit’, by Floyd Shimomura, page 4. Floyd Shimomura, JACL National President 1982-84, recalls the redress movement as the most significant issue of his tenure, including persuading the Federal Redress Commission to recommend individual monetary compensation. He expresses confidence that JACL will endure as a spirit of service and idealism rather than merely an organization.
• Personal Update: Floyd Shimomura, by Floyd Shimomura, page 5. Floyd Shimomura describes returning to the California Attorney General’s Office after teaching at UC Davis School of Law, and details his growing family including three children. He notes his career advancement to Senior Assistant Attorney General overseeing the State Personnel Section.
• Blueprint for Blue Shield, by John Yasumoto, page 9. The JACL Blue Shield health plan celebrated its 27th year in 1992, with annual premiums exceeding $14 million and claims paid over $12.5 million to subscribers across seven district councils. The article details the plan’s history since 1964, its board of trustees, and a new PPO/HMO contract approved for 1993.
• Home Continued: A Responsive Environment for Change, by Floyd Shimomura, page 9. Shimomura outlines a vision for JACL’s future growth to 32,000 members by 2000 through expansion into new states and regions, along with the need for professional fundraising and implementation of the Program for Action. He argues that headquarters should remain on the West Coast while the organization adapts its network to serve changing membership needs.
• Okura Continued: Ongoing Advocacy, by Patrick Okura, page 10. Okura details his continued civil rights and mental health advocacy work on Maryland boards and commissions and his role founding the National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse. He also notes his recent 81st birthday and continued good health allowing him to remain active in numerous organizations.
• Marching Continued: The Need for Strong National Leadership, by Patrick Okura, page 10. Okura stresses JACL’s continuing need to combat anti-Asian violence and Japan/Asia-bashing through strong national leadership and civil rights initiatives. He calls on Nisei members to become less complacent and for newly elected officers to address aging and retirement needs of senior members.
• Sugiyama Continued: Retirement and Buddhist Studies, by Shig Sugiyama, page 11. Sugiyama describes his retirement in 1988 due to emphysema, his wife’s breast cancer treatment, and his enrollment in a Master’s program in Jodo Shinshu Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. He also details his community service on the Richmond Police Commission and Contra Costa County Grand Jury.
• Internal Continued: Building Personnel Policy, by Hank Tanaka, page 11. Tanaka describes leading development of JACL’s first comprehensive personnel policies and procedures manual in 1973, addressing hiring, grievance procedures, and benefits amid organizational controversy. He credits staff members Dave Ushio and Wayne Horiuchi for their work securing the new national headquarters building and the 1976 presidential proclamation repudiating Executive Order 9066.

In-Depth

• There From the Beginning, by Fred Hirasuna, page 6. Fred Hirasuna recounts the founding of the Fresno American Loyalty League in 1923 by Dr. Tom Yatabe and his own involvement beginning in 1929, including attending the first JACL National Convention in Seattle in 1930. He details meeting JACL pioneers like Saburo Kido and Clarence Arai and his subsequent career and family life.
• Hirasuna Continued: A Changing Community, by Fred Hirasuna, page 10. Fred Hirasuna reflects on his decades of JACL involvement and expresses concern about declining youth membership and interracial families losing connection with the Japanese American community. He notes that Fresno JACL has been fortunate to attract younger members interested in maintaining Japanese roots, but that many other chapters have not.
• Hirasuna Continued: Political Challenges Ahead, by Fred Hirasuna, page 11. Hirasuna warns that Japanese Americans are falling behind other Asian groups politically and urges coalition-building with other Asian, African American, and Hispanic communities. He credits JACL’s redress movement success to its political influence disproportionate to its small membership.

Incarceration & Redress

• A Lifetime of Service, by Mamaro Wakasugi, page 6. Mamaro Wakasugi recalls learning of the Pearl Harbor attack while dealing with a family car accident, and describes how a fair-minded Washington County sheriff protected Japanese American families from harassment. He explains his goal of making a place for Sansei children to grow up as part of the Banks, Oregon community despite wartime prejudice.
• A Trek Back in Time: A Wartime Journey to San Francisco, by Sud Morishita, as told to Harry Honda, page 7. Sud Morishita recounts a harrowing 1942 automobile trip from Idaho Falls to San Francisco to attend an emergency JACL meeting about the impending evacuation, facing suspicious police and roadblocks along the way. The account also details the history of the first Intermountain District Council convention held in Pocatello in November 1941, just weeks before Pearl Harbor.
• Wakasugi Continued: Guarding the Community, by Mamaro Wakasugi, page 8. Wakasugi describes being sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy to help maintain peace after Pearl Harbor and the difficulties of attending JACL meetings under curfew restrictions in Portland. He also recounts his trip to San Francisco for the emergency JACL meeting and his role informing the Army of the impact of removing Nisei farmers on the food supply.
• Trek Continued: The Return Journey, by Sud Morishita, page 8. Morishita details the eventful return trip from San Francisco including a car breakdown near Mountain Home, Idaho, and encounters with local sheriffs and townspeople during the tense wartime atmosphere. He reflects that JACL members had no real option but to comply with evacuation orders given the realities of the time.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.