Repealing the Emergency Detention Act, and the April 25 call to chapters

Vol. 68, No. 14, April 4, 1969. 6 pages. View this issue

The campaign to repeal the Emergency Detention Act, Title II of the Internal Security Act, led this issue. The National JACL Ad Hoc Committee stepped up its public education effort, with TV appearances, press interviews and speaking engagements arranged in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Seattle. Jerry Enomoto, the national president, urged chapters to mark April 25, the anniversary of the wartime evacuation, with local resolutions and public education. Nisei social workers also planned to bring a repeal resolution to their national meeting.

Other pages carry a Midwest human rights workshop reported by Chiye Tomihiro, the seven-member National JACL Scholarship Foundation committee, and Rep. Spark Matsunaga’s tribute to 1st Lt. Grant Henjyoji. Ralph Lazo recalls joining Japanese Americans at Manzanar, and columns come from Bill Hosokawa, Mike Masaoka and Bill Marutani.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Title II Ad Hoc Committee Steps Up Educational Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Ad Hoc Committee to Repeal the Emergency Detention Act has stepped up its public education campaign on the dangers of Title II of the Internal Security Act. TV appearances, press interviews, and speaking engagements have been arranged in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
• Blacks Want to Be Left Alone in Own Crisis, by Chiye Tomihiro, page 1. The Midwest District Council held a Human Rights Workshop in Chicago where participants underwent sensitivity training and heard a talk on Black Power. The speaker argued that Black Americans need time to find self-identity and dignity without outside pressure.
• Seven Members Appointed to JACL Scholarship Foundation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Committee members of the newly created National JACL Scholarship Foundation met in San Francisco under chairman Buddy Iwata to define the scope of their activities and explore sources of additional scholarship funds. Members serve staggered six-year and shorter terms.
• Maryknoll to Leave Mission in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Maryknoll Fathers and Sisters, who established a school and church in Little Tokyo nearly 50 years ago, announced plans to leave within three years. The Japanese Catholic mission is expected to continue operating in some form.
• Getting Involved: Human Relations-a Needed Pursuit, by Richard Okabe and Karen Suzuki, page 4. Chicago JACL juniors volunteered at the Montrose Urban Center, working with children from urban neighborhoods through games and crafts. The co-chairmen argue that human relations work responds to real needs in urban society.
• Manhattan Echoes, by Jor Oyama, page 4. New York JACL held an installation dinner where George Yamaoka, a longtime New York attorney and Japan consultant, spoke about postwar Japan’s recovery and cultural revival. The event drew a large audience from several states.
• Gardena Valley JACL’s Instructional League, by Gary Yamauchi, page 4. The Gardena Valley JACL will sponsor a Nisei instructional bowling league at South Bay Bowling Center this summer, combining weekly lessons with league play. The author invites all Nisei bowlers, regardless of skill level, to participate.

Commentary

• Sacramento Chapter and April 25 Evacuation Anniversary, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. JACL National President Jerry Enomoto urges chapters to observe April 25, the anniversary of the wartime evacuation, through local resolutions and public education. He argues that the issue of civil liberties is relevant to every American.
• Private Clubs?, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka examines racial exclusion by allegedly private clubs in the Washington area and pending Supreme Court cases testing whether such clubs can discriminate. He notes that the outcome may define which clubs are truly private.
• From the Frying Pan: Doing Their Thing, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa contrasts Nisei farmer Kish Otsuka’s quiet community leadership in Iliff, Colorado with militant separatist demands in Denver’s Hispano community. He argues that civic engagement and shared American identity matter more than ethnic emphasis.
• Public Support for Coroner Mounts, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Several organizations and individuals publicly criticized the county’s firing of Dr. Thomas Noguchi as Los Angeles County Coroner, questioning the process and motives behind it. Supporters included a radio station, a newspaper, CORE, and a Mexican American community leader.
• Sansei Slant: Look Inside, by Patti Dohzen, page 4. Patti Dohzen reflects on a panel at an Oriental Speakout Symposium where drug use among Asian American youth was discussed. She describes the event as more enlightening than interesting.
• Someone to Talk to, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A reflective poem about loneliness, sleepless nights, and the longing for someone to confide in, ending with hope that the darkness will lift.
• Ed’s Dak: Ethnic Cry and Trivial Flotsam, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Columnist Bill Marutani muses on Japanese language usage, generation terminology, and the proper naming of JACL in Japanese. He treats the topics with light humor and linguistic commentary.
• Letters from Our Readers, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Readers respond to JACL proposals and to the student protest situation at San Francisco State College. Correspondents debate the appropriate methods of protest and the responsibilities of parents and youth.
• Portrait of Centenarians, by Alan Kumamoto, page 6. Alan Kumamoto writes about JACL’s collaboration with UCLA on the Japanese American Research Project and the importance of documenting Japanese American contributions. He notes new books are being published from the project.
• Sakura Script, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Editorial commentary on JACL constitutional reorganization and the importance of orderly governance, followed by discussion of the role of the national president in mediating disputes.

National

• Nisei Social Workers Push for Repeal of Detention Camp Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese American social workers in the National Association of Social Workers have proposed a resolution calling for repeal of the Emergency Detention Act. Delegates from California, Washington, and Oregon will present the resolution at the national meeting this month.
• Convention on Racial Bias Set, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination has come into force after 90 days passed since the 35th country ratified it. The United States signed the treaty but has not ratified it and is not expected to do so in the foreseeable future.
• Matsunaga Sees East-West Amity Will Lead to U.S. Recognition of Mainland China, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Spark Matsunaga told a Honolulu Rotary Club that greater East-West understanding could lead to U.S. recognition of Red China and its admission to the United Nations. He identified cultural conflict, modernization tensions, and Asian nationalism as barriers to be overcome.

Military & Veterans

• Saga of Grant Henjyoji, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rep. Spark Matsunaga paid tribute to 1st Lt. Grant Henjyoji, a Nisei Army officer born in the Minidoka WRA camp who was killed in Vietnam in March 1969. The article recounts his life and his family’s wartime incarceration.

Incarceration & Redress

• Hayakawa Revisits White House for Trudeau Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco State acting president S.I. Hayakawa attended a White House state dinner, the first Nisei to do so under the Nixon administration. He also received a strong ovation at a San Francisco GOP dinner.
• Ralph Lazo, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Ralph Lazo, a Mexican American who voluntarily joined Japanese Americans at the Manzanar camp during WWII, recounts his experience. He later served in the Pacific and went on to a career in teaching and public service.

In-Depth

• Zengakuren: Where It All Began, by Henry Taketa, page 6. Henry Taketa describes the history of the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony and the research that uncovered its story. He also discusses the Zengakuren student movement and its early role aiding repatriates after WWII.

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