Vol. 87, No. 2, July 21, 1978. 12 pages. View this issue
A redress proposal was the news of this 12-page issue. At the 25th biennial National JACL Convention in Salt Lake City, delegates were asked to consider $25,000 in tax-free compensation for each eligible person for the World War II incarceration (often called internment). The draft came from the JACL National Committee for Redress, led by Dr. Clifford Uyeda, and was still subject to National Council approval. The full text and comments are printed on pages 6 and 7. Uyeda’s own column reported that eight months of preparation were complete, and a story from the VFW noted two Nikkei resolutions headed for its national convention.
Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about art made in the camps and the idea of preserving it. Gene Konomi looked at the rise of Nikkei mayors in small western towns, and an editorial urged streamlining the JACL Constitution. The arts pages cover a Honolulu writers conference, a San Francisco workshop and a new Ed Sakamoto play.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- Convention mulls over redress proposal: $25,000 per detainee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A proposal to compensate Japanese Americans for wartime incarceration with $25,000 tax-free payments per eligible person is being presented at the 1978 National JACL Convention in Salt Lake City. The draft, prepared by the JACL National Committee for Redress led by Dr. Clifford Uyeda, is still subject to National Council approval and possible modification by Congress.
- Preparations Complete, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. JACL redress committee chairman Clifford Uyeda reports that eight months of preparation are complete, including weekly Pacific Citizen coverage, a proposal, and public informational booklets. He says the next phase of educating the public will fall to district and chapter chairpersons.
National
- Amendment may change immigration, social security, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senator Percy Amendment would restrict immigration by requiring sponsors to sign a five-year support contract, which the American Immigration and Citizenship Conference warns would end family reunification policy. It would also impose a five-year residency requirement for certain immigrants seeking Supplemental Security Income.
- Gov. Brown names Gardena judge, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Governor Brown appointed Gardena attorney Madge Watai to the Los Angeles Municipal Court bench. She had practiced law in partnership with her husband George Watai and received the East Los Angeles Community Union’s Southern California Woman’s Achievement Award last year.
- Carter policy for more farm exports to Japan acclaimed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman S. Floyd Mori praised the Carter administration’s stance linking expanded U.S. agricultural exports to support for a new international trade agreement. Some Nisei flower growers, however, expressed concern about cheap foreign flower imports.
- Patsy Takemoto Mink elected ADA president, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Patsy Takemoto Mink was elected president of Americans for Democratic Action in June. The brief notice reports the election without further detail.
Community
- Wimmer-Yamada design of El Cajon’s new civic center wins top U.S. award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Wimmer, Yamada & Associates won the American Society of Landscape Architects award for the El Cajon Superblock civic beautification project. San Diego landscape architect Joseph Yamada accepted the honor in Washington.
- Redress proposal: 1978 Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The full text of the JACL redress proposal is printed, covering purpose, basis for claim, eligibility, $25,000 per eligible person payment, disbursement through individual payments and a Trust, and the structure of a Japanese American Commission. Accompanying comments discuss debates over heirs, Central and South American Japanese, and the trust fund.
- Fresno NSC keeps busy even in July, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Fresno Nikkei Service Center planned July activities for senior citizens, including a winery tour and craft workshops. The center also completed a survey of elderly Nikkei in rural Fresno County before phasing out its outreach project.
- Sacramento JACL announces twenty scholarship winners, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Sacramento JACL scholarship committee announced twenty winners in June, selected for excellent grades and extracurricular activities. The awards are funded by community groups, individuals and businesses.
Commentary
- Time to streamline the JACL Constitution, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges revision of the JACL Constitution, noting Marin County’s call for a committee and draft review before the 1980 convention. It recounts earlier unfinished revision efforts since 1967 and discusses the structure of constitution, by-laws, and rules of order.
- Works by Issei reveal humanness, by Mrs. Mary Tani, page 4. In a letter to the editor, Mary Tani objects to a PC Quarterly article’s stereotyping of Issei as saintly and suppressed and of Nisei as nonsexual. She argues Nisei are diverse individuals and that stereotyping invites outside stereotyping of Japanese Americans.
- Nikkei Phenomenon, by Gene Konomi, page 8. Gene Konomi examines the recent wave of Nikkei mayors in small western municipalities and argues the phenomenon reflects broader middle-class integration of the Nikkei community. He notes these mayors are largely from well-to-do, well-educated families and are otherwise typical middle-class Americans.
In-Depth
- Evacuee Camp Art, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa describes the arts and crafts Issei and Nisei created in wartime relocation camps, drawing on Allen Eaton’s book. He endorses Ruth Hashimoto’s proposal that JACL collect and preserve surviving camp art as part of Japanese American history.
Military & Veterans
- Nat’l VFW to act on Nikkei motions, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Two resolutions on Nikkei issues, one on redress and one on civil service retirement credit, were adopted by the VFW Pacific Areas Department and will be considered at the National VFW Convention in Dallas. Both were authored by VFW Memorial Post 9723 in Japan.
Arts & Entertainment
- Conflict among Chinese writers, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Ethnic American Writers Conference in Honolulu in June featured sessions on Asian American literature, including a heated panel on Chinese American writing. Participants debated Maxine Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior and the differences between mainland and Hawaii Asian American writers.
- Japantown Art and Media writers hold Tuesday workshops, by P.C. Staff, page 11. The Japantown Art and Media Writers’ Workshop in San Francisco holds Tuesday night discussions on obstacles facing Asian American writers. Topics include institutional racism and the commercial nature of American publishing.
- Ed Sakamoto play opens at Workshop, by P.C. Staff, page 11. The Asian American Theater Workshop in San Francisco presents the Northern California premiere of Ed Sakamoto’s Yellow Is My Favorite Color. The comedy-drama follows a Japanese American man who has turned away from his Asian heritage.
- The Bamboo People: The Law and Japanese Americans, by Frank F. Chuman, page 11. A book advertisement describes Frank Chuman’s history of the legal treatment of Japanese Americans, praised by Sen. Daniel Inouye and others. The offer is for a special JACL member price.
Obituaries
- Valiant Odyssey by Herbert Nicholson, by P.C. Staff, page 11. A book promotion describes Valiant Odyssey, edited by Michi Weglyn and Betty Mitson, as an honest and informative account of the internment of West Coast Japanese Americans. Profits are directed to the Hibakusha atomic bomb victims fund.
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