JACL’s shrinking membership and the resisters resolution debate

Vol. 132, No. 2, February 2, 2001. 12 pages. View this issue

A decline in membership ran through the front page of this issue. JACL Executive Director John Tateishi wrote that losses reached nearly 16 percent last year, with aging Nisei members, among the organization’s most generous supporters, leaving, and he described budget cuts and a search for new funding. National President Floyd Mori asked every member to recruit another. Martha Nakagawa also reported on a Sacramento meeting where veterans questioned the resisters resolution, and on JACL’s work to keep national monument status for Minidoka.

Also inside: Norman Mineta’s confirmation as Transportation Secretary, a new JACL website, and a plan from the education committee for 2001-2002. Harry Honda wrote about papers on the Pomona Assembly Center and Poston being given to the Japanese American National Museum. Chapter news, a Nisei VFW reunion notice and a book review of Growing Up Nisei fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• JACL Faces Shrinking Membership, by John Tateishi, page 1. JACL Executive Director John Tateishi discusses the organization’s financial crisis caused by shrinking membership, particularly the loss of aging Nisei members who provide significant revenue. He outlines efforts to cut the budget and diversify funding sources through corporate and foundation grants while working to recruit new members.
• Member-Get-A-Member, by Floyd Mori, page 1. JACL National President Floyd Mori honors Ruth Hashimoto’s longtime support of JACL and her suggestion that every member recruit another member to avoid dues increases. He calls on JACL members to actively recruit new members to address the organization’s declining membership crisis.
• JACL Leaders Meet with Veterans to Discuss Resisters Resolution, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. More than 70 participants attended a Sacramento meeting to discuss JACL’s controversial resolution apologizing to WWII draft resisters of conscience, with veterans alleging voting irregularities at the Monterey convention. JACL President Floyd Mori and Executive Director John Tateishi defended the resolution process and emphasized their continued respect for veterans.
• Update on JACL Resolutions, by By the Board, page 3. JACL’s vice president of general operations provides a status update on national council resolutions from the last biennium, including efforts on Native Hawaiian recognition, hate crimes legislation, and support for Norman Mineta’s confirmation. The article details progress and setbacks on various resolutions monitored by JACL representatives in Washington, D.C.
• e-JACL: Organization Unveils New Website, by Ryan Chin, page 3. JACL launched a new website aimed at recruiting members, disseminating information, and automating operations, featuring an events calendar, press releases, and fundraising tools. The site also includes advocacy tools allowing users to track legislation and contact elected officials, plus a shopping portal that generates revenue for JACL.
• JACL Education Committee Plans Aggressive Program for 2001-2002, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL education committee met in San Francisco to plan three major projects: revising the JACL Curriculum and Resource Guide, conducting teacher training workshops nationwide, and developing an education webpage. The committee emphasized the urgency of updating materials, as only 150 copies of the current guide remain in stock.
• Veterans Host Q&A with JACL Leaders to Discuss Resisters Resolution, by P.C. Staff, page 7. This continuation article details the contentious exchange between veterans and JACL leaders Floyd Mori and John Tateishi over the resisters resolution, with veterans challenging the legitimacy of the convention vote and questioning why resisters deserved recognition. Mori and Tateishi defended the resolution while emphasizing their continued respect and gratitude toward Nisei veterans.
• JACL Membership Numbers Lower than Anticipated, by John Tateishi, page 7. This continuation article details how JACL’s membership losses reached nearly 16 percent last year, double what was projected, compounded by rising insurance costs and reduced investment income. Tateishi outlines drastic budget cuts and efforts to find new funding sources while calling on chapters to renew membership recruitment efforts.
• JACL Members Encouraged to ‘Get-A-Member’, by P.C. Staff, page 7. This continuation article elaborates on the need for JACL members to recruit friends and family, especially younger members, to ensure the organization’s future viability. It suggests that older members could sponsor memberships for children or grandchildren to help grow the organization.
• An Interview with U.S.-Japan Relations Committee Leaders, by Emily Moto Murase, page 8. Emily Moto Murase interviews outgoing and incoming chairs of JACL’s National U.S.-Japan Relations Committee, Edwin Mitoma and A. Maria Toyoda, about their motivations and goals for the committee. Both discuss the importance of strengthening ties between Japanese Americans and Japan, and plans to recruit younger, more diverse committee members.

National

• JACL Works to Keep National Monument Designation for Minidoka, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Following President Bush’s moratorium on last-minute Clinton administration actions, JACL is monitoring the status of the Minidoka War Relocation Center site, which was named a national monument days before Clinton left office. Idaho’s congressional delegation, including Rep. Mike Simpson, has pledged to protect the site and introduce legislation if necessary.
• Mineta Confirmed as Transportation Secretary; Labor Nominee Chao Likely to Join Bush Cabinet, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Norman Mineta was unanimously confirmed by the Senate as Transportation Secretary, marking his second historic Cabinet appointment as the only Democrat in Bush’s administration. Meanwhile, Labor Secretary nominee Elaine Chao faced questions about her stance on affirmative action, with APA groups expressing mixed reactions to her nomination.
• Guilty Plea in Ileto Murder, by P.C. Staff, page 5. White supremacist Buford Furrow Jr. pleaded guilty to murder and hate crimes charges for killing Filipino American postal worker Joseph Ileto and wounding several people in a 1999 shooting spree at a Jewish community center. The plea agreement results in life in prison without parole, and Ileto’s family expressed relief at the case’s closure.
• National Newsbytes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 5. This roundup covers several national stories including a Supreme Court case on discrimination law regarding English-only driver’s license tests, projections that minorities will become the majority in Texas by 2030, a report on labor violations against Koreatown restaurant workers, a former Hawaii senator facing money laundering charges, and the reintroduction of the Native Hawaiian recognition bill by Senators Akaka and Inouye.
• Advisory Commission Calls for Increased Protection of Civil Rights for AAPIs, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Former President Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders released an interim report urging the federal government to protect AAPI civil rights, citing the Wen Ho Lee case and voting ballot irregularities in New York as examples of ongoing challenges. The commission, chaired by Martha Choe, made recommendations on culturally competent materials and increased AAPI community involvement.

Community

• Chapter News: Arizona, Fremont, French Camp, New Mexico, and Watsonville-Santa Cruz Chapters, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This roundup covers installation dinners and events across several JACL chapters, including new officer installations in Fremont, French Camp, New Mexico, and Watsonville-Santa Cruz, plus a senior center meeting in Arizona featuring a talk on elder abuse and fraud. Keynote speakers included judges, doctors, and community leaders discussing topics from healthcare to the presidential electoral process.
• Fund Raising Begins for Former Santa Fe DOJ Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Santa Fe Internment Camp Marker Committee is raising over $15,000 to place a historic marker at the former WWII Department of Justice camp in Santa Fe and maintain an archival collection at the Palace of the Governors museum. The city has already allocated land for the marker overlooking the former camp site.
• APAs in the News: Awards, Appointments, Announcements, by P.C. Staff, page 6. This roundup covers various APA achievements and political campaigns nationwide, including Helen Kawagoe’s run for Carson mayor, Terrence Terauchi’s campaign for Gardena mayor, and Jeff Adachi’s bid for San Francisco public defender against Kimiko Burton. The article also highlights veteran affairs news including posthumous honors for Medal of Honor recipients Joe Hayashi, William Nakamura, and James Okubo.
• 51st Annual Nisei VFW Reunion in Orange County, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The 51st Annual Nisei Veterans of Foreign Wars Reunion will be held Feb. 16-18 in La Mirada, hosted by three Orange County area VFW posts, with declining membership potentially making this the last such reunion. Events include a welcome reception, banquet, memorial service, golf tournament, and an exhibit honoring Japanese American war veterans.
• State Assembly Accepting Applications for Assembly Fellowship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Assemblymember George Nakano announced the California State Assembly is accepting applications for the 2001-2002 Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program, which gives college graduates the opportunity to work as full-time assembly staff while earning a stipend and graduate credit. Applications must be postmarked by Feb. 28, 2001.
• Writers Seeking Nisei U.S. Cadet Nurses, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Writers Thelma M. Robinson and Paulie M. Perry are seeking to interview Nisei who participated in a government-sponsored scholarship program that trained nurses from 1943 to 1948. The two recently published a book titled ‘Cadet Nurse Stories’ about the program.
• UCLA Offers Summer Program on Hawai’i’s AAPI Communities, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The UCLA Asian American Studies Center will offer its multicultural summer program in Honolulu for graduate, undergraduate and high school students, providing an intensive six-week immersion in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Hawai’i. The program runs from June 30 to Aug. 11, 2001, and offers academic credit.

Commentary

• Very Truly Yours: A Bridge Across the Pacific, by Harry Honda, page 8. Harry Honda describes the transfer of historical JACL papers, including the ‘Feeley Papers’ documenting the Pomona Assembly Center and Poston camp, to the Japanese American National Museum’s National Resource Center for archiving. He details the fascinating history recorded in these documents, including the Temporary Community Council’s governance struggles at Poston during WWII.
• Stranger Than Fiction, by Christina Shigemura, page 8. Teacher Christina Shigemura humorously recounts her experience serving jury duty during a school vacation period, describing the tedious orientation process and her observations about modern jurors influenced by television legal dramas. She reflects on how her vacation time was consumed by this civic obligation rather than relaxation.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Growing Up Nisei’ Captures Innovative Portrait of California Nisei, by Dr. Lane Hirabayashi, page 9. This book review examines David K. Yoo’s historical work on California’s Nisei generation between 1924 and 1949, focusing on how ethnic schools, churches, and vernacular press served as sites for negotiating identity issues. The review praises Yoo’s careful analysis of primary sources including Nisei journalists’ writings and interviews from the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study.’,

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