Vol. 83, No. 1, July 2, 1976. 6 pages. View this issue
The 24th biennial JACL National Convention opened in Sacramento, and its business filled most of this six-page issue. The opening session saw a credentials dispute over proxies and unpaid fees, and delegates heard that Alexander Grant and Co. had presented the first outside audit of National JACL finances. National president Shig Sugiyama ran the Board meeting, and the National Council approved a resolution honoring Iva Toguri d’Aquino and a certificate for the late Wayne Collins. Wayne Horiuchi’s Plain Speaking column described the open forum on reparations, after which the Council voted unanimously to support the concept.
Also inside: Edison Uno’s Minority of One column on Japanese American judges, and a reader’s letter about Farewell to Manzanar. A reprinted meditation links creativity to Manzanar and Heart Mountain. Local news covers the Teton Dam flood at Sugar City, Idaho, scholarships in Denver, and Samuel Cohen, who became president of the new Tri-Valley chapter.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Credential fight in opening session, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 24th biennial JACL National Convention opened in Sacramento with welcoming remarks from dignitaries and a brief credentials dispute over proxies and unpaid fees. The National Council ruled on the disputed motions, extending a deadline for absent chapters to clear their accounts.
- Sugar City, Idaho, first to feel brunt of flood, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The June 5 Teton Dam break destroyed most of Sugar City, Idaho, where two Japanese American families lived. JACL collected donations for the flood victims.
- Mile-Hi JACL and other chapter scholarships awarded, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Over 20 scholarships were presented at the Denver community graduates banquet. Recipients included students honored by several JACL chapters and Buddhist groups.
- Samuel Cohen: non-Japanese heads new Tri-Valley chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Samuel Cohen became the first president of the new Tri-Valley JACL chapter, a rare non-Nikkei to lead a chapter. His interest in Japanese culture began through a school pen pal program and a cultural exchange he later founded.
JACL
- Sugiyama runs tight ship at National Board meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL president Shig Sugiyama kept the National Board focused on matters before the current convention rather than the next biennium. Board members debated whether the body should adopt recommendations for future direction.
- Financial report shows first outside audit of National JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Alexander Grant and Co. presented a $1.5 million balance sheet for FY 1975, the first time National JACL finances were reviewed by an outside certified accounting firm. Delegates accepted the unaudited statements and the format will be retained for future reports.
- JACL wealth: member dedication, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National Director David Ushio named members whose individual initiatives advanced JACL and Nikkei causes, including Henry Miyatake’s start of the EO 9066 redress movement. He called for unity and continued support for the work of these members.
Incarceration & Redress
- JACL belatedly recognizes Iva Toguri, late Wayne Collins, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National Council approved a resolution honoring Iva Toguri d’Aquino for her loyalty despite a cruel and unjust ordeal, and a certificate was given to the late Wayne Collins for his devotion to justice. Both recognitions were presented at the convention luncheon.
Commentary
- Minority of One: Your Honor, by Edison Uno, page 2. Uno reflects on Japanese American judicial appointments, praising the judges who have served and noting their contributions to community leadership. He expresses concern that appointment removes capable Nisei from political leadership roles.
- Farewell to Manzanar: a personal view, by Letter to the Editor, page 2. A reader writes that the Wakatsuki family’s experiences in Farewell to Manzanar reflect only their own perspective, and defends the Sansei’s right to form their own views. The letter argues the story has been told and differing versions should be expressed through the same forums.
- Plain Speaking: Convention debate on reparations, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 3. Horiuchi recounts an open forum on reparations moderated at the convention, with speakers from Seattle, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. The National Council unanimously voted to support the concept of reparations.
- Meditation, by John Burroughs Review (reprint), page 5. A reflective essay compares the light through a window to the creative energy of Japanese Americans confined in Manzanar and Heart Mountain. The author argues that human energy and creativity cannot be contained by hate or barbed wire.
Obituaries
- Mme. Hosoe Kodama honored with arts award, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Seattle JACL member Mme. Hosoe Kodama received a King County Arts Commission award for her lifelong teaching of Ikenobo flower arranging and tea ceremony. She also donated $1,000 to the Seattle JACL to establish a chapter library.
National
- Pacific Overture may close early in New York, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Broadway musical Pacific Overtures, which won a New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, was expected to close due to small audiences. Critics offered several reasons for its failure to draw crowds.
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