Vol. 74, No. 11, March 24, 1972. 6 pages. View this issue
Over 500 people were expected at Manzanar for a pilgrimage and teach-in, with cemetery cleanup and preparation for a State Historical Landmark plaque. The same front page reported on a picket of about 80 demonstrators outside the San Francisco JACL installation dinner, where Dr. S.I. Hayakawa spoke. Mack Yamaguchi and Henry T. Tanaka wrote in defense of the invitation, while Ken Hayashi argued that Japanese Americans must cooperate with Blacks and Chicanos. The Chicago JACL board also backed the United Farmworkers’ Organizing Committee, and a JACL planning commission prepared to hammer out ideas for the decade ahead.
Other stories included a reunion between Madame Zeller of France and Rev. Hiro Higuchi, former chaplain of the 442nd. Seattle dedicated Kawabe Memorial House, a 162-unit senior apartment building, and a 91-unit Keiro Apartments project was planned in Little Tokyo. Helen Kawagoe recapped the 26th Annual JACL Bowling Tournament, and Allan Beekman reviewed Fumiko Enchi’s novel The Waiting Years.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Over 500 Expected This Weekend in Trek to Manzanar, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Over 500 participants are expected for the Manzanar pilgrimage and teach-in at the first American concentration camp built during World War II. The walking pilgrimage will include cemetery cleanup and preparation for a State Historical Landmark plaque.
- Installation Picketed in San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 1. About 80 demonstrators protested the San Francisco JACL installation dinner where Dr. S.I. Hayakawa spoke, while 150 attended inside. Chapter president George Yamasaki Jr. defended the choice of speaker and invited protesters to dinner.
- Turlock Centennial Celebration Honors Japanese Pioneers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Turlock centennial celebration honored early Japanese American pioneers who arrived in the area as early as 1910 to work in berry and melon fields. Recollections from Issei pioneers and historical accounts of the local farming community were featured.
- Keiro Apartments Planned Near Hospital and Nursing Home in Little Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A 91-unit Keiro Apartments senior housing project is planned near City View Hospital in Los Angeles, pending federal Section 236 funding. The non-profit facility will serve low-income Asian senior citizens with a live-in manager and medical access.
- Buddhists Join Senior Citizen Housing Project in Ontario, Oregon, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representatives of eight churches including the Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Church joined a local chamber of commerce to form Treasure Valley Housing Inc. The nonprofit will build a 35-unit rent subsidy project for low-income seniors.
Incarceration & Redress
- Kawabe House Dedicated in Seattle as Retirement Home for Elderly, by John J. Reddin, page 1. Seattle’s Kawabe Memorial House, a 162-unit senior apartment building named for pioneering businessman Harry Sotaro Kawabe, is dedicated in the Central Area. The federally sponsored building is open to residents regardless of race, creed or color.
Military & Veterans
- 442 Hero Rediscovered, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Madame Zeller, a French woman, reunites with Rev. Hiro Higuchi, former chaplain of the 442nd, after decades apart. Their story centers on a 1944 Christmas party for children in L’Escarene that Zeller remembered vividly.
- Bowling Tournament Results and Recap, by Helen Kawagoe, page 2. Helen Kawagoe recaps the 26th Annual JACL Bowling Tournament, highlighting trophy winners, notable scores, and the commitment of local chapters to the JACL Education Fund. She thanks donors and volunteers who supported the event.
JACL
- Chicago Board Backs UFW on Farm Labor Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago JACL board adopted a resolution supporting the United Farmworkers’ Organizing Committee and contributed $50 to its campaign. Chapter chairman Hiroshi Kanno explained the humanitarian and coalition-building reasons behind the action.
- National JACL Board Resolution on Farm Labor Recalled, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The article recalls the National JACL Board’s 1971 resolution on farm labor, which emphasized free elections and condemned violence by any party. It frames the Chicago action within the longstanding national debate over JACL’s role on farm labor.
- Chapter Education Committee Assists New Asian American Alliance at Oberlin College, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Cleveland JACL education committee responded to a letter from a Sansei Oberlin student describing the newly formed Asian American Alliance. The committee pledged assistance in developing Asian American studies and programs in the region.
National
- Hayakawa Optimistic Over Vietnam Land Reform, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. S.I. Hayakawa, after a visit to South Vietnam, reported optimism among South Vietnamese due to land reform under President Thieu. He said peasants are better off and that the population feels capable of resisting the North after US withdrawal.
Commentary
- Power to the People, by Mack Yamaguchi, page 2. Mack Yamaguchi defends Dr. S.I. Hayakawa against critics, praising his stand during the San Francisco State College strike. He argues that protesters have a right to demonstrate but that Hayakawa also has a right to speak.
- By the Board, by Ken Hayashi, page 2. Ken Hayashi responds to Fred Hirasuna’s column, arguing that Japanese Americans must cooperate with Blacks and Chicanos in urban areas. He calls Hirasuna’s dismissal of other minorities dangerous and insensitive.
- Perspectives: The Other Guy, by Henry T. Tanaka, page 2. Henry Tanaka reflects on how stereotyping of outcast groups like ex-convicts persists and asks readers to examine their own attitudes. He argues each person has a responsibility to challenge prejudice.
- Communication and Understanding, by Henry T. Tanaka, page 2. Tanaka defends the San Francisco JACL’s invitation to Dr. Hayakawa as consistent with valuing communication and understanding. He notes no individual can speak for all Japanese Americans.
- Priorities: Chapter Education Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Cleveland JACL education committee, led by Sadie Yamane, reports growing requests for speakers and college assistance. The committee expresses pleasure at supporting the new Asian American Alliance at Oberlin.
- Uncredit Card Trademark Draws Protest, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chase Manhattan and American Express have objected to the registered trademark Uncredit Card used by UNIC, headed by Mike Yamano. Yamano says the credit card giants have no strong legal basis for their suit.
Arts & Entertainment
- Book Review: The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi, by Allan Beekman, page 5. Allan Beekman reviews Fumiko Enchi’s novel The Waiting Years, which depicts polygyny in a Meiji-era household through the perspectives of a wife and her concubines. He praises its insight into feminine psychology while criticizing its anti-climactic handling of key scenes.
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