Vol. 80, No. 9, March 7, 1975. 4 pages. View this issue
A dispute inside JACL ran through the four pages of the March 7, 1975 issue. National President Shigeki J. Sugiyama answered the impeachment charges brought by the Pacific Southwest District Council, and Harry K. Honda reported on how the Executive Committee handled the motion. Dr. Roy Nishikawa wrote a column on the same subject. The issue also opened the call for Hagiwara student aid applications, with grants of $100 to $500, and introduced eight finalists for four JACL Cultural Heritage Fellowships.
News of the wartime incarceration (often called internment) included a plan for two Topaz monuments and the new date for the Manzanar pilgrimage, moved from March 22 to April 19. An Okinawa VFW post backed reparations. Columns came from Bill Hosokawa, Edison T. Uno, Jerry Enomoto and Richard Gima.
What’s in this issue
Community
- First call for Hagiwara Award seekers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Applications are now available for the JACL Hagiwara Student Aid Program, which provides need-based grants of $100 to $500 to Japanese American students. The deadline for applications is June 30, and district chairpersons are listed to assist applicants.
- Manzanar pilgrimage date reset, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1975 Manzanar Pilgrimage has been rescheduled from March 22 to April 19 due to conflicts with other community weekend events. The announcement was made by the Manzanar Committee.
- Japanese day school scheduled to open this fall in New York, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Japanese day school is set to open in Queens next fall to serve some 2,000 Japanese school-aged children whose parents want continuity in their education. The school will be an expansion of Saturday classes run by a Nisei club.
- Seattle JACL office reorganizing its files, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle JACL President Dr. Lindbergh Sata and board members began reorganizing decades of chapter records and files. The effort aims to preserve historically valuable materials for future chapter officers.
- Cherry Blossom festival grand parade April 27, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival grand parade will be held Sunday, April 27, climaxing a community springtime celebration at Japan Center. Organizations wishing to participate are directed to contact local coordinators.
- Yori Wada named to school study group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Buchanan YMCA director Yori Wada was among 25 San Francisco leaders appointed to a year-long commission studying the city’s public school system. The commission was jointly announced by state and university education officials.
- BCA commends Rodda position, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Buddhist Churches of America ministers commended State Senator Albert Rodda for appointing Rev. Shoko Masunaga as the first Buddhist Senate chaplain, despite some fundamentalist Christian opposition. The ministers also restructured the Institute of Buddhist Studies and elected new officers.
- Red Cross help in ‘undeclared-type’ conflict urged as change in policy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Yonekazu Abe, chairman of the San Bernardino County Red Cross international relations committee, has launched a national campaign urging the American Red Cross to aid noncombatants in undeclared conflicts. He argues the Geneva Conventions’ wartime limitation prevents humanitarian aid in places like Vietnam.
JACL
- JACL Fellowship finalists introduced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eight finalists for four JACL Cultural Heritage Fellowships are profiled, representing a range of academic and community interests. Their backgrounds include chapter leadership, student activism, and arts involvement.
- EXECOM sweats over inside issues and tax status, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. The JACL Executive Committee met to address the PSWDC impeachment motion and the Nagai complaint against David Ushio, and discussed a legal report on JACL’s tax-exempt status. The board decided to rename its legislative committee the political education committee to reduce tax risk.
Incarceration & Redress
- VFW post in Okinawa pushes evacuee reparations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Okinawa War Memorial VFW Post 9723 has submitted a resolution supporting reparations for Japanese American evacuees, to be voted on by its membership and possibly forwarded to the national VFW convention. The resolution calls for a Congressional Evacuation Reparation Act covering damages for wartime internment.
- Topaz WRA camp monuments set, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Topaz Committee plans to erect two monuments commemorating the WWII camp, one at the campsite and one in Delta, Utah, at an estimated cost of $5,000. Former camp residents gathered in San Francisco to discuss the project.
- FBI, HEW start giant probe at UMass, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The FBI and HEW launched a major federal investigation into the use of about $15 million in grant funds at the University of Massachusetts School of Education, after irregularities were uncovered by Dr. Robert Suzuki. The probe may take half a year and could lead to criminal indictments.
Commentary
- Re: PSW Impeachment, by Shigeki J. Sugiyama, page 1. National President Shigeki Sugiyama responds to impeachment charges brought by the Pacific Southwest District Council, stating he has always acted in the best interests of members. He says he will continue his duties pending clear direction from the membership at large.
- Fair Play was real victim, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 2. Former National JACL President Roy Nishikawa criticizes the PSWDC impeachment motion as poorly conceived and procedurally unfair. He calls for due process, advance notice, and mutual respect in resolving internal disputes.
- A position of responsibility, by Jerry Enomoto, page 3. Newly appointed California Director of Corrections Jerry Enomoto reflects on his responsibilities and his personal views on the death penalty. He argues that he can conscientiously fulfill his duties while opposing capital punishment.
- Letters: Hosokawa’s Column, by George M. Gomm, page 3. A Portland JACL member writes in response to Bill Hosokawa’s humorous column about family coats of arms. He offers a playful suggestion for a more appropriate samurai image.
- Surprise in the Mail, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa recalls the death of his longtime friend Dr. Chuck Kambe, a Philadelphia physician, and reminisces about their boyhood adventures and experiences with discrimination. He reflects on how times have changed while honoring Kambe’s perseverance.
- Aloha from Hawaii, by Richard Gima, page 3. Richard Gima’s Hawaii column covers local news including the Miss Hawaii Pageant, native Hawaiian employment issues, and legislative and business developments. It also includes items on education and state appointments.
- Federal Communications Commission: Ruling the Air Waves and Waiving the Rules, by Dr. Leslie S. Hiraoka, page 3. Dr. Leslie Hiraoka examines how citizen and minority groups have increasingly pressured the FCC over broadcast programming and equal employment. The article discusses license renewal challenges and criticizes the FCC’s leadership.
- Frying Pan: Denver, Colo., by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa remembers his friend Chuck Kambe, a Philadelphia doctor, who has died. The column recalls shared youthful experiences and Kambe’s encounters with discrimination.
- Minority One: In the name of progress, by Edison T. Uno, page 4. Edison Uno reflects on the disappearance of Japanese identity in San Francisco’s Japantown amid commercialization and redevelopment. He also argues the community should prioritize an Issei retirement home over the new national headquarters.
National
- Bicentennial funds sought, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL Executive Director David Ushio urged federal Bicentennial administrators to fund ethnic and racial group participation in the national celebration. He reported that delegates at a January conference felt excluded and were told funds were unavailable.
- Minority hiring overruled, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An Oakland equal employment program that sought to match city hiring to local racial and sex ratios was ruled unconstitutional by a Superior Court judge. The ruling followed a suit by white firemen who alleged discrimination.
Military & Veterans
- Okinawa VFW post pushes evacuee reparations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Okinawa VFW post presented a resolution supporting Japanese American evacuee reparations for membership vote. If approved it may reach the national VFW convention in Los Angeles in August.
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