Reparations and a search for a JACL executive director

Vol. 84, No. 7, February 25, 1977. 8 pages. View this issue

Two JACL questions ran through this eight-page issue. The National JACL Board planned to meet March 18-20 in San Francisco to interview candidates for national executive director, a post vacant since David Ushio resigned. And the reparations campaign got an editorial, community input meetings in Seabrook, Philadelphia and New York, and a column by Wayne Horiuchi on pressing the Carter Administration for Asian American appointments. Cherry Kinoshita reported on a Seattle board debate over JACL’s goals, and G.N. Asawa wrote about why “concentration camp” fits the wartime incarceration better than “relocation.”

Also inside: a profile of Nichibei Times publisher Shichinosuke Asano, Dr. Harry Kitano’s prediction about the Nisei, and Bill Hosokawa on new stained glass windows in the Colorado Capitol. The front page carried the Seabrook JACLers’ dance at the Carter inaugural festivities, and the news on Wendy Yoshimura’s appeal and bail.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• JACL Board Meets Mar. 18-20 to Select National Executive Director, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Board will interview candidates and select a new national executive director at its March 18-20 meeting in San Francisco, a position vacant since David Ushio resigned last September. The tentative agenda covers finances, legal matters, committee reports, reparations, and policy statements.
• Europe Tour Price Raised to $1,870, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The cost of the first JACL Tour to Europe was increased to $1,870 to conform with CAB rules, the JACL Travel Committee announced. No further increase is expected barring unforeseen circumstances.

Community

• Wendy Yoshimura Faces New $50,000 Bail as Appeal Is Filed, by By LEE RUTTLE, page 1. Wendy Yoshimura’s attorney filed an appeal of her conviction before her Feb. 24 sentencing, and the judge is expected to set new bail at $50,000. The Wendy Yoshimura Fair Trial Committee is working to raise the full amount, with about $30,000 committed as of Feb. 18.
• Nisei as Group Will ‘Disappear by 2000,’ Kitano Speculates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At a Hollywood JACL installation dinner, Dr. Harry Kitano of UCLA discussed interracial marriage trends and predicted the decline of a distinct Japanese American group identity by the year 2000. He cited rising outmarriage rates in Los Angeles, Fresno, San Francisco, and Hawaii.
• Eastern District Community Input Sought on Reparations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Community input meetings on Japanese American reparations were scheduled for Seabrook, Philadelphia, and New York, with JACL speakers and open invitations to non-members. Organizers sought opinions on what reparations should include.
• Pacific Southwest District to Consider $9,300 Budget, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Southwest District Council will consider a $9,300 budget at its quarterly session in Los Angeles, with most funds going to the regional office. Membership reached a district high of over 9,000.
• Canada Allows Nisei Special Call Sign, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese Canadian radio amateurs received government permission to use the special prefix CJ during 1977 as part of the Canadian Japanese centennial celebration. Jin Ide of Oakville led the effort.
• Gardena Appeals for Gymnasium Support, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute launched a $300,000 fundraising campaign to build a 12,000 square foot gymnasium-auditorium. The institute’s multipurpose building was dedicated last October.
• Sequoia JACL to Celebrate 25th Anniversary, by Adnan Itaya, page 6. The Sequoia JACL will honor all of its past presidents at a March 26 dinner-dance marking its 25th anniversary. The article lists the chapter’s presidents from 1952 onward, noting Amy Tamaki Doi as the first woman to lead the chapter.
• Bay Area Community JACL Rededicates Itself to Its Founding Purpose, by P.C. Staff, page 6. At its January 28 meeting, the Bay Area Community JACL reaffirmed its purpose of working for the betterment of the Asian American community. Members also discussed meeting schedules and officer structure, and named its 1977 staff.
• Chapters with Property Can File for Tax Exemption, by P.C. Staff, page 7. National JACL legal counsel Frank Iwama explains that chapters and district councils owning property may qualify for California welfare tax exemptions. He outlines filing steps and the March 15 deadline.
• Chicago JACL Credit Union Declares 5.2 Pct. Dividend, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Chicago JACL Federal Credit Union reported record loans, earnings, and assets at its 30th annual meeting, and declared a 5.2 percent dividend. Directors and officers were elected for the coming year.
• JACLers Helping on Desegregation, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Fresno JACL members Sumi Saito, Jeanette Ishii, and Barbara Taniguchi are serving on subcommittees of the city school district’s citizens advisory committee working on a federal desegregation plan. The article notes their role in community organization input.
• Orphaned Baby of Tragic Fire Recovers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Margaret Tomomi Takatori survived a February 1976 apartment fire that killed both her parents, and she has since found a home with the Yamasaki family in San Diego. Community groups raised $10,000 to help with her medical care.
• Nisei Appointed Director of Church Social Action Agency, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Rev. Dr. S. Garry Oniki, a Los Angeles native, was elected executive director of the Office for Church in Society of the United Church of Christ. He will begin work in New York on May 1, 1977.
• Japanese American Bar Association Holds Reception for Law Students, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The newly organized Japanese American Bar Association welcomed over 100 law students and lawyers at a reception in Los Angeles on January 20. Edward Kakita serves as association president.

In-Depth

• Shichinosuke Asano: Pioneer Newspaperman Came to America to ‘Help People’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shichinosuke Asano, who rose from reporter to publisher of the Nichibei Times in San Francisco, recounts his early life in Japan, his mentor Takashi Hara, and his decision to emigrate. The profile also covers his wartime losses, postwar relief work, and his reflections on Issei character.

National

• Pacific Basin Trade ‘Most Promising,’ Former Ambassador Hodgson Says, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan James Hodgson said the Pacific Basin offers the most promising future business opportunities and that the U.S. and Japan can jointly lead the world’s economic recovery. He also noted improved Japanese public perception of the United States.
• Kikkoman Hit by Price-Fixing Charge, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A $6 million lawsuit was filed in federal court against three U.S. subsidiaries of Kikkoman soy sauce companies, alleging price fixing and elimination of competition. The plaintiff is an Oriental foodstuffs dealer.

Commentary

• Editorial: Reparations Project, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Citizen editorial explains JACL’s reparations campaign, acknowledging that token payments are a long shot in Congress but arguing the effort is grounded in equity, justice, and dignity. It also lists collateral benefits such as building political capability and educating the public about wartime incarceration.
• Concentration Camp, by G.N. Asawa, page 4. Reader G.N. Asawa argues that ‘concentration camp’ is more accurate than ‘relocation’ for the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, drawing on his own experiences at Santa Anita and his later service in the U.S. Army. He cites anti-Nisei violence he endured as evidence of the hostility faced during the war.
• Derogatory Terms, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A Minnesota reader responds to John V. Wilcox’s defense of the term ‘Jap,’ arguing that Wilcox’s comparison to ‘Finn’ ignores the offensive history of the word for Nikkei. The letter contends that ethnic slurs carry real pain regardless of intent.
• For Today & Tomorrow: ‘Roots’: What Next?, by Jon Inouye, page 4. Jon Inouye reflects on the success of Alex Haley’s Roots and asks why no Asian American work has yet reached a comparable popular audience. He argues that Asian American art must speak to the broader public, not only to Asian Americans themselves.
• Plain Speaking: Asian American Advocacy, by Wayne Horiuchi, page 5. Washington Representative Wayne Horiuchi describes JACL’s campaign with other Asian American groups to pressure the Carter Administration to appoint Asian Americans to high-level federal posts. He reports enthusiastic congressional support from California, Hawaii, and other delegations.
• From the Frying Pan: Pioneers in Stained Glass, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa highlights Colorado’s record on human relations, from Gov. Ralph Carr’s welcome of evacuees to the state’s fair housing law. He describes new Capitol stained glass windows honoring ethnic minorities, including Chin Lin Sou and Harry Naoichi Hokazono.
• Chiaroscuro: What Are JACL’s Goals and Purposes Today?, by Cherry Kinoshita, page 5. Seattle JACL’s Cherry Kinoshita reports on a special board meeting that debated whether JACL should be primarily reactive or should also pursue planned community service. Members discussed racism, funding, outreach to dropouts, and political involvement.

Military & Veterans

• Ron Yoshino Named to National JACL Board, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Former Chicago JACL president Ron Yoshino was appointed an at-large member of the National JACL Board by President Jim Murakami. Murakami sought a younger Midwesterner to help balance a board weighted toward the West Coast.

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