JACL’s direction, record membership and a Seattle exhibit

Vol. 71, No. 22, November 27, 1970. 6 pages. View this issue

National President Raymond Uno opened the issue by taking on worries about where JACL was headed. He argued that many questions are not either-or but sit on a continuum, and he listed programs to continue and expand, from education and civil rights to youth and membership. Alongside it, national JACL membership stood at 25,349, a new high, with San Jose chapter leading at 1,686 members.

Bill Hosokawa spoke at the Marysville chapter’s 35th anniversary dinner about the wartime experience of the Nisei. More than 40,000 people visited the Seattle exhibit Pride and Shame, and a page 4 piece looked at the Manzanar monument. Mike Masaoka wrote on the House trade bill, and Kaz Maniwa described weekly rap sessions at the San Francisco Drop-in Center. Plans for a $3 million Japanese American cultural and community center in Little Tokyo also appeared.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Uno Reflects on Continuum, JACL Direction and Program Priorities, by Raymond Uno, page 1. JACL National President Raymond Uno addresses concerns about the organization’s direction, arguing that issues are often not either-or but exist on a continuum. He outlines a range of programs to be continued and expanded, from education and civil rights to youth and membership.
• National JACL Membership at 25,000; New High, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL membership reached 25,349 as of Nov. 18, surpassing last year’s record. San Jose chapter claimed the Ichiban honor with 1,686 members, and twenty chapters received performance certificates for new all-time highs.

Community

• Marysville Chapter Hears Hosokawa Talk on Evacuation, by Wilson Dillard, page 1. Bill Hosokawa, author of Nisei: The Quiet Americans, spoke to about 150 people at the Marysville JACL 35th anniversary dinner. He described the Nisei’s wartime experience and their loyalty to America.
• Teachers Needed for Asian Courses, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A San Francisco task force is seeking funds to hire five teachers for Asian American courses in city high schools. The request is being considered in the 1971 school district budget.
• Seattle Colleges Seek More Minority Teachers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle JACL faulted Seattle Community College for having few minority faculty, with only 33 minority instructors out of 42. Former chapter president George Iwasaki called for greater efforts to hire Oriental and other minority teachers.
• Reno Councilmen Recall Campaign Stalled After Petition Certified, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A recall petition against three Reno city councilmen was certified as adequate but its progress stalled after signatures were removed through court action. The Committee of Fifty plans to appeal to the state supreme court.
• Berkeley to Name Marina for Sansei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Berkeley city councilmen favor naming a stretch of the waterfront marina the Ronald T. Tsukamoto Beach in memory of the slain Sansei police officer. The city had rejected renaming Civic Center Park for him.
• Contributions of All Minorities in Growth of California to Be Noted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A new California law requires schools to teach the contributions of minorities in building the state. Los Angeles Councilman Gilbert Lindsay urged that Mexican American, Black, and Oriental contributions be recognized.
• Japan Investors Investigate L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Osaka business executives Ko Suzuki and Jihei Akita met with Mayor Sam Yorty to explore investment opportunities in Little Tokyo and the San Fernando Valley. They also examined Little Tokyo redevelopment blueprints.
• JACL Blue Shield Health Plan Quota Dropped for PSW, Open Enrollment Starts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Blue Shield Health Plan will take effect Jan. 1, 1971 for Pacific Southwest District members without a minimum enrollment quota. Open enrollment runs until Jan. 1 with no medical statement required.
• Capitol Life Was Agreeable to PSWDC Hopes for Co-existing Insurance Plan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Capitol Life Insurance Co. expressed disappointment that a seven-point co-existence agreement with the PSWDC insurance committee was rejected. The company’s policy with the district will terminate on Dec. 31, 1970.
• Marysville Hosokawa Talk, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Bill Hosokawa spoke at the Marysville JACL 35th anniversary, describing his book on Japanese Americans and the wartime relocation. He said Nisei are not bitter and that JACL leadership during the war deserves recognition.
• Filipino Americans Awakening Now in Search of Policy of Self-Continuity, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fred Cordova, speaking to a Seattle JACL meeting, urged the Filipino community to build self-continuity and cohesion. He argued that Filipino Americans are decades behind the Nisei in organizing.
• Over 40,000 Inspect Seattle JACL Exhibit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 40,000 people viewed the Seattle JACL and Historical Society exhibit Pride and Shame at the Museum of History and Industry. The exhibit recalled the Evacuation years with a mock-up of a WRA barrack.
• By-Laws OK’d for Proposed $3 Million Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Little Tokyo Community Development Advisory Committee unanimously adopted by-laws for the proposed cultural and community center. A 27-member board will set policy, and a nominations committee will select the initial board.

National

• Citizenship Case Argued Before Supreme Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Supreme Court heard arguments on whether Congress may strip citizenship from Americans born overseas to one alien and one American parent who failed to reside in the U.S. during specified years. The case centers on Aldo Mario Bellei, who was denied a passport.
• U.S. Averting Minamata Fish Tragedy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Assistant Attorney General Shiro Kashiwa said Justice Department lawsuits against mercury polluters prevented a disaster like Japan’s Minamata incident. Civil suits were brought against eight companies while 50 others voluntarily reduced discharges.

Commentary

• House Passes Trade Bill, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka describes the House passage of the Mills Trade Bill, which mixes trade liberalization with protectionist import quotas. He argues that singling out Japan for refusing voluntary textile export controls is unjustified.
• On Second Thought, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The column notes differing chapter dues decisions, including Seattle, Dayton, and Fresno JACL. Dues were set at varying amounts to cover the $2 national increase.
• Respectively Yours: Rap Sessions May Reveal Answers, by Kaz Maniwa, page 6. Kaz Maniwa describes informal weekly discussions at the San Francisco Drop-in Center covering alienation, school, racism, and community issues. He argues that schools and churches fail to address these relevant topics.
• Letters: Untold Story, by Alice Nishi, page 6. Alice Nishi writes about the controversy over the textbook Japanese Americans: The Untold Story, rejected for California schools. She calls for JACL and BCA to develop a comprehensive elementary curriculum on Japanese American contributions.
• Editor’s Desk: Major Medical Insurance, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The editorial cites rising hospital costs, from $85.45 per patient stay in 1946 to $448.86 in 1967. It argues that public health measures such as good diet, clean environment and preventive medicine are the best insurance.

In-Depth

• Manzanar, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A reflection on the Manzanar relocation center monument in Owens Valley and its place in American history. Rev. Maeda’s efforts led to steps toward National Historical Monument status for the site.

Military & Veterans

• Prep Clubhouse Inside, Now Set for New Outside, by Joe Hamanaka, page 6. The Nisei Veterans Committee of Seattle unveiled its renovated clubhouse, completed by volunteer crews in phases. Improvements included reflooring, a new stage curtain, lighting, and new ceilings.

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