Racial balance rules, the Bakke case and a redress bill hearing

Vol. 85, No. 6, August 5, 1977. 8 pages. View this issue

Civil rights questions ran through this eight-page issue. On the front page, Asian residents of International Terrace, a Seattle public housing project for low-income elderly, petitioned to be exempt from HUD racial balance rules that could shift their units to white tenants. Rep. Shirley Chisholm told a JACL district convention that the Bakke case threatened civil rights gains, and her speech continues on page 3. Wayne Horiuchi’s Plain Speaking column looked ahead to the September 13 hearing on Civil Service retirement credit for Japanese Americans interned during World War II.

Elsewhere, the paper reported that U.S. Sen. S. I. Hayakawa would be grand marshal of the Nisei Week parade in Little Tokyo. Editorials marked Iva Toguri d’Aquino’s pardon and explained a change of typeface after a heat-damaged typesetter. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Joe Oyama, Sachi Seko and Barry Saiki round out the issue.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Asians Petition HUD Policy Change, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian residents of International Terrace, a Seattle public housing project for low-income elderly, are protesting HUD-driven racial balance rules that could force Asian tenants out as units become vacant. A petition drive seeks an exemption on the grounds that many elderly Asians depend on living in the International District.
• Oxnard Mayor Kato on Double Duty During Washington Visit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Oxnard Mayor Tsujio Kato, a dentist, visited Washington, D.C., to take part in national health care discussions and to follow up on the city’s inquiry to President Carter about a proposed LNG terminal. He planned meetings with energy officials, federal representatives, and senators on both issues.
• Pro-Minority Text Dropped From OK List, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle schools superintendent David Moberly withdrew Ruth Pelz’s ‘The Washington Story’ from the approved textbook list after a school board member called its minority coverage unbalanced. Minority community leaders defended the book, and social studies department heads had urged its adoption.
• Salinas Council Re-elects Hibino, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Salinas Mayor Henry Hibino was re-elected to a third term by the city council. The 42-year-old grower was first chosen by his colleagues in 1973 and re-elected in 1975.
• 1977 Nisei Week Grand Marshal: Hayakawa, by P.C. Staff, page 1. U.S. Sen. S. I. Hayakawa will serve as grand marshal of the 1977 Nisei Week parade in Little Tokyo on August 28. The festival chairman said Hayakawa accepted in part because of his pride in his Nikkei heritage.
• Internment Credit Bill Hearing Set, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A House subcommittee scheduled a September 13 hearing on a bill granting Civil Service retirement credit to Japanese Americans evacuated and interned during WWII, with a mark-up session set for September 26. JACL’s Washington representative credited congressional support and grassroots letter-writing with getting the bill back on track.
• Masuo Akizuki Honored at San Jose Testimonial, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Masuo Akizuki, an 80-year-old San Jose pioneer, was honored at a community testimonial dinner for his service, including Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure. He was recognized for promoting the San Jose-Okayama Sister City math contest and for decades of church and community work.
• Rep. Mineta to Keynote PSW Dinner to Honor George Roth, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Southwest JACL District Council will honor George Knox Roth, who defended Japanese Americans during the 1942 Evacuation at great personal cost, at a dinner on August 13. Rep. Norman Mineta will keynote and George Takei will serve as master of ceremonies.
• Salinas Valley to Host Next Northern Cal District Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Northern California-Western Nevada District Council rescheduled its summer quarterly meeting to August 21 in Salinas. Agenda items include a Tule Lake historical plaque, the San Benito County High School situation, and reparations at the chapter level.
• Fresno Senior Citizens Express Needs in Survey, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Fresno Commission on Aging survey of 134 Japanese American seniors found strong support for the JACL-sponsored Issei Service Center and a desire for affordable apartments. Respondents also expressed concern about loneliness, especially among those living alone.
• Another Little Tokyo Venture to Rise, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Bunmei-Do of California, the U.S. subsidiary of a Japanese confectioner, broke ground on a $300,000 two-story commercial building in the Little Tokyo Redevelopment area. The building is expected to provide offices and shops by December.
• Textbook (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 3. Board member Ellen Roe defended her removal of the Pelz textbook while minority leaders called the move racist. The text had been prepared under a federal grant and was reviewed by social studies department heads who urged its adoption.

National

• Title VI, Civil Rights Act, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Carter’s July 20 memorandum to executive departments reaffirmed strong enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, barring federal funds to discriminatory programs. The memo stressed that no program’s importance excuses violating anti-discrimination laws.
• Bakke Case Jeopardizes Civil Rights Won Since 1940s, Rep. Chisholm Tells JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, keynoting the JACL Eastern and Midwest District Councils’ joint convention, warned that the Bakke case and shifting public mood threaten civil rights gains of minorities. She argued that affirmative action opens opportunity rather than denying rights to whites and that the Bakke decision could set back redress of past discrimination by a century.

Incarceration & Redress

• Assembly Centers to Be Historical Sites, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The California State Assembly passed a joint resolution (AJR 47) nominating the twelve Japanese American assembly center sites in California to the National Register of Historical Places. The resolution commemorates 35 years since the evacuation of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans.

Commentary

• Eki-ben Dated, by Mrs. M. Vishtak, page 2. A reader responds to George Yoshinaga’s column on the bullet train and bento, stating that bento always carry a date stamp and that claims about poor refrigeration were unsupported. She calls the column’s statements irresponsible.
• Chisholm (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Chisholm argued that affirmative action is not reverse discrimination because whites hold the institutions still, and that opportunities must be opened to women and minorities. She concluded that a ruling for Bakke would set back redress of past discrimination.
• Comments, Letters and Views, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Readers responded to Bill Hosokawa’s column on Earl Warren’s memoirs, to former JACL president Henry Tanaka’s call for more human rights advocacy, and to a travel column on bento. Letters also thanked the Pacific Citizen for its support during a faculty tenure case.
• Editorial: Belated Justice, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes recent rectifications of miscarriages of justice, including Iva Toguri d’Aquino’s pardon and Massachusetts Gov. Dukakis’s proclamation on the Sacco-Vanzetti case. It frames the Sacco-Vanzetti injustice as a product of prejudice against foreigners and dissidents.
• Editorial: The Sea Monster, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial comments on a Japanese fishing boat’s discovery of a decomposed sea creature off New Zealand, which some experts identified as a plesiosaurus and others as a sea lion. It notes skepticism from Western scientists and suggests a bit of envy in belittling the Japanese find.
• Editorial: The Heat Gets PC, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial explains why this week’s issue uses a substitute typeface after heat broke the phototypesetter. It describes the cooling measures taken to resume production and meet the deadline.
• Human Rights, by Masaru Odoi, page 4. Letter writer Masaru Odoi argues that JACL should weigh membership wishes before taking public stands on human rights, noting low interest in reparations. He says the organization’s priority should be practical needs such as scholarships and community centers.
• West Wind: Mtn. View’s Obon Bazaar and a Big Mini-Lecture, by Joe Oyama, page 5. Joe Oyama describes the Mountain View Buddhist Church Obon Festival and Bazaar, praising the outdoor sushi operation and the crowd of some 25,000. He also recounts a mini-lecture on Buddhism by Rev. La Verne Sasaki on its nature as a way of life.
• Plain Speaking, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 5. Wayne Horiuchi previews upcoming congressional actions affecting JACL, including the September 13 hearing on internment credit, the Bakke oral argument in October, and possible hearings on atomic bomb survivor medical treatment. He encourages chapters to invite elected officials to fall events.
• Japanophile, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa discusses a reference book on Japanese history and geography by E. Papinot, reprinted by Tuttle, and a family genealogy sent by a reader. He reflects on the author’s dedication and the early Western figures who had contact with Japan.
• From Happy Valley: Trans Continental Pipeline Too!, by Sachi Seko, page 5. Sachi Seko reflects on a conversation about the impact of television and recalls Martin Luther King Jr. and the power of televised media. She suggests JACL explore television as an educational tool, citing the film Farewell to Manzanar.
• Nisei in Japan: Japanese and Nikkei Influences, by Barry Saiki, page 8. Barry Saiki surveys Japanese influences in the United States, including Buddhist church architecture, Japanese gardens, ikebana, dance, art, sports, and foods. He argues that these traditions have spread widely through the prewar Nihonmachi, the Occupation, and war brides.

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