Vol. 83, No. 8, August 20, 1976. 4 pages. View this issue
A planning conference on Nisei retirement, set for November 19-21 in San Francisco, led the news. JACL sponsored it with NIMH funding, and applications went to chapters with a September 20 deadline. Other front-page stories covered proposed Justice Department rules on Title VI enforcement, a campaign for medical aid for atomic bomb survivors, and JACL’s tentative 1977 membership campaign. Tommy Miyasaki wrote two pieces on fleeing the Teton Dam collapse and returning to his ruined home in Sugar City.
Frank Chuman’s book The Bamboo People was reviewed twice, by Sachi Seko and Wayne Horiuchi. Kaz Horita reported on the JACL National Convention in Sacramento, and Bill Hosokawa described a visit to Los Alamos. Barry Saiki compared the Lockheed scandal in Japan with Watergate, and Richard Gima wrote from Hawaii. The issue also reported the Wendy Yoshimura appeal and a Chicago petition to name a school after Joan Arai.
What’s in this issue
National
- Nisei Retirement Planning Conference Set for Nov. 19-21 in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A planning conference on Nisei retirement will be held November 19-21 in San Francisco, sponsored by JACL with NIMH funding. Applications to attend were distributed to chapters with a September 20 deadline.
- Justice Department Proposes Title VI Enforcement Regulations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Justice Department proposed new regulations to improve federal compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars bias in federally financed programs. Surveys of agencies found enforcement shortcomings now under negotiation for remedial action.
Incarceration & Redress
- Bomb Survivors Committee Seeks Passage of HR 8152, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Committee of Atomic Bomb Survivors of the United States, which located nearly 400 survivors mostly in California, is seeking passage of a bill introduced by Rep. Ed Roybal for medical aid. Speakers at a Headquarters press conference included Dr. Hiroo Yamashita and David Ushio.
- Tragedy Seen But Not Felt: Teton Dam Collapse, by Tommy Miyasaki, page 1. Idaho resident Tommy Miyasaki recounts the June 5 Teton Dam collapse, describing how he and his family fled the rushing floodwaters from Sugar City. He describes the destruction of the village and the loss of his family home.
JACL
- JACL Plans 1977 Membership Campaign and Constitutional Amendments, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chapters received a memorandum outlining tentative 1977 membership campaign plans and proposed constitutional and by-law amendments for approval before September 22. The amendments concern proxy authorization, National Dues deadlines, and convention minutes distribution.
Community
- Nisei Farmers League Organizes Southern California Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Nisei Farmers League organized its 16th chapter in Encinitas to cover Southern California, with Allen Shapiro as president. The group, led by Harry Kubo, was formed to help defeat Proposition 14 on the November ballot.
- Wendy Yoshimura Loses Round as Appellate Court Reinstates Explosive Charge, by Lee Ruttle, page 1. The State Court of Appeals reinstated an explosives possession charge against Wendy Yoshimura, reversing a lower court dismissal for vagueness. The appellate court ruled that intent is a required element of the statute, making it not unconstitutionally vague.
- Joan Arai Middle School Petition in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A petition is circulating in Chicago to rename a newly established Northside middle school after Joan Arai, honoring her community volunteer work and her fight for the school. Arai was lying terminally ill in an Evanston hospital at the time.
- Hawaii Today: Political Notes and Education Funding, by Richard Gima, page 4. Richard Gima reports that $25 million in federal aid to Hawaii schools is being withheld over equal educational opportunity concerns for students with limited English. He also covers reapportionment litigation and endorsements in the Hawaii political races.
Commentary
- Convention Notes from a Philadelphia Delegate, by Kaz Horita, page 2. Philadelphia delegate Kaz Horita reports on the JACL National Convention in Sacramento, focusing on the resolved financial deficit, the adopted budget, and the defeated dues increase. He also covers the reparations push, the planned tabloid format for the Pacific Citizen, and award winners.
- A Look at South Africa, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial examines South Africa’s Internal Security Act and the government’s crackdown following June 21 student protests against compulsory Afrikaans instruction. It warns that white rule is under pressure across southern Africa and that this instability has implications for international investors.
- Los Alamos Visit Reveals Weapons History and Energy Research, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Bill Hosokawa describes a visit to Los Alamos, where a museum displays replicas of the atomic bombs and where scientists now pursue energy research. He reflects on the contrast between past weapons development and current work on peaceful energy alternatives.
- Overdue Bill: Teton Dam Flood Aftermath, by Tommy Miyasaki, page 2. Tommy Miyasaki continues his account of returning to his flood-damaged home in Sugar City, finding it structurally intact but ruined inside. He reflects on the home as a symbol of the pioneer heritage that endured the flood.
- From Happy Valley: The Bamboo People, by Sachi Seko, page 2. Sachi Seko reviews Frank Chuman’s book The Bamboo People, a legal history of Japanese Americans. She praises its accessible writing and its exposure of how law and racism were used against the community.
- Plain Speaking: Frank Chuman’s Book, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 3. Wayne Horiuchi recommends Frank Chuman’s The Bamboo People, a legal history of Japanese Americans written in layman’s language. He summarizes the book’s coverage from immigration through the evacuation cases and the rescission of Executive Order 9066.
- A Nisei in Japan: Watergate and Lockheed, by Barry Saiki, page 4. Barry Saiki compares the Lockheed scandal in Japan, which led to the arrest of former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, with the Watergate affair in the United States. He argues both scandals reveal the dangers of leaders abusing public trust and the need for eternal vigilance.
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