JACL President Raymond Uno on prejudice, and Title II repeal

Vol. 72, No. 1, January 1, 1971. 8 pages. View this issue

National JACL President Raymond Uno opened this eight-page issue with an address on prejudice, arguing that it grows from a lack of knowledge and understanding. The front page also reported that Henry Kanegae, a JACL president, walked away from a demolished Piper Comanche after a December 26 takeoff crash, and that George Ariyoshi was sworn in as Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor. Mike Masaoka’s Washington column covered the end of the 91st Congress and the failure to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act, with JACL planning renewed efforts next session.

Bill Hosokawa described an afternoon at the Los Angeles JACL offices, and Jim H. Matsuoka’s 1969 speech at the Manzanar Pilgrimage called the wartime incarceration a symbol of racism. Dr. Clifford Uyeda reported on Anne Loftis’s talk about Tule Lake renunciants. Fred S. Kai and Manchester Fu wrote on Japanese art and the musical Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen. Chapter news came from Mid-Columbia, Gardena Valley, Placer County and San Francisco.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Uno Ponders Prejudice and Its Roots, by Raymond Uno, page 1. National JACL President Raymond Uno, speaking at Domingues Hills, argues that prejudice grows from a lack of knowledge and understanding, condemning what people reject without understanding it. He calls for education and a reversal of this tendency to build a stronger country.
• Placer County Chapter Member Seiichi Otow Achieves Life Membership Goal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seiichi Otow of the Placer County JACL chapter fulfilled his long-held goal of becoming a JACL Life Member after years of contributing through the 1000 Club. He views his membership as a permanent commitment to JACL’s work.

National

• Henry Kanegae Walks Away from Demolished Plane, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL President Henry Kanegae survived a plane crash after takeoff from Orange County Airport on December 26 that left his six-seat Piper Comanche demolished. He was taken to a hospital with head lacerations and cuts but was expected to recover.
• Maine Elks Lose Liquor Licenses Over Membership Rule, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Maine’s 14 Elks lodges were unable to renew liquor licenses because of a national rule limiting membership to white American males. The state liquor commission said the rule violated a state law forbidding discriminatory licensing.
• Textbooks of Personal Competence and Concern on Nikkei Sought by JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL urged the California State Curriculum Commission to reconsider its rejection of the textbook Japanese Americans: The Untold Story. National President Raymond Uno’s letter called for textbooks showing personal competence and concern regarding Japanese Americans.

Community

• Mid-Columbia JACL First Sansei President, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mid-Columbia JACL elected Tom Yasui as its president at a combination meeting and election in Hood River. It marks the first time the chapter has selected a Sansei for the post.
• Vandals Damage Parked Cars During Title II Repeal Meeting in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Vandals punctured tires and broke windows on 17 of 20 parked cars during a Title II repeal meeting at Bethel United Church of Christ in Elmhurst, Illinois. Speaker Hiroshi Kanno’s car was hardest hit, and the Rev. Spannus suggested it may have been a coincidence by teenagers.
• Hawaii Installs Its Nisei Lt. Governor, by Allan Beekman, page 1. George Ariyoshi was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in a ceremony in Honolulu attended by thousands. In his speech he called the occasion an impossible dream come true for the son of immigrants.
• Assistant Sought for Mike Masaoka in Washington Office, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL is seeking an assistant to Washington Representative Mike Masaoka, who has served for 25 years and may be succeeded. Applicants should be articulate, personable writers and speakers familiar with Japanese American history and JACL.
• Seattle’s Franklin High Now Half Non-White, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Franklin High School in Seattle has become 50 percent non-white according to the annual ethnic count. Japanese American enrollment there dropped sharply while black enrollment increased.
• Hawaiian Families Take Part in Project Aloha Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Local Hawaii residents hosted Japanese tourists through Project Aloha Japan, a program run by the local Public Relations Society chapter and Okinawan-American youth group. About 13,000 Japanese visitors came between December 26 and January 5.
• Okinawa Leader Visits Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chobyo Yara, chief executive of the Ryukyu government, visited Hawaii to spend a few days with the Mikal family. He was invited by a youth organization of Okinawan ancestry.
• Slight Against Nikkei at JACS Press Conference Apologized, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At a press conference on United Way’s rejection of JACS funding requests, a KNXT-TV crewman’s remark ‘Happy Pearl Harbor Day’ was overheard and considered insulting. The crewman later apologized after Masamori Kojima confronted him.
• JACL Credit Union Declares 5.4% Dividend, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National JACL Credit Union board declared a 5.4 percent per annum dividend for the second half of 1970, totaling about $35,000 distributed to members. The annual dinner-business meeting was scheduled for January 23.
• Gardena Valley Chapter Re-elects Helen Kawagoe, by Ken Huthmaker, page 3. Gardena Valley JACL re-elected Helen Kawagoe as president for 1971 after an outstanding first year. Raymond Uno spoke at the installation banquet, and karate master Seiyu Inamine gave a demonstration.
• San Francisco JACL Board Urges Public Schools Restrain Christmas Tradition, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The San Francisco JACL board voted on a resolution asking public schools to refrain from religiously-oriented Christmas programs. Debate reflected differing views among members on separation of church and state.
• Sansei Leads Anti-Hunger March to Raise $2,000, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A Sansei youth organized a hunger hike in Oakland to raise money for hunger relief, drawing about 150 marchers. The organizer said the walk helped inform the community about local hunger problems.
• Fifth Japan Art Festival on Tour Through U.S., by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fifth Japan Art Festival opened at the Guggenheim Museum in New York with 55 works by 33 artists selected by a jury. It will travel to Philadelphia and Berkeley.
• Placer County JACL Seiichi Otow Profile, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Seiichi Otow of Placer County JACL is profiled as a dedicated chapter member who has served on the board and worked on a sister-community program with Japan. His varied interests include photography, electronics, and farming.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Rekindles Interest in Hawaii Veterans Monument, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Reporting on Washington developments, this summary concerns the defeat of Title II repeal efforts in Congress and the plans for renewed campaigning next session. Mike Masaoka’s column also discusses the upcoming 92nd Congress and political dynamics.

Commentary

• Washington Newsletter: Congressional Sessions, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka reports on the end of the 91st Congress and the uncertain start of the 92nd Congress. He explains that the failure to repeal Title II of the Internal Security Act reflects Rules Committee obstruction, while JACL plans renewed efforts next session.
• From the Frying Pan: A Day in the Life Of, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa describes a lively afternoon at the Los Angeles JACL offices, including a massage from consultant John Saito and a visit from George Takei. He notes Takei’s enthusiasm for expanding cultural events for Nisei and Sansei.
• Little Tokyo’s Community Ills Aired by Newsmen, by Jim Miyano, page 3. Mike Yamaki of the Yellow Brotherhood appeared on a KMPC news panel to discuss juvenile delinquency and drug abuse in the Asian American community. He argued that the community’s problems are overlooked due to stereotyping as a model minority.
• A Pitch for Pacificulture, by Fred S. Kai, page 4. Fred Kai describes a UCLA Extension course on Japanese art and culture and promotes Pacificulture Foundation’s plan to create an Oriental Art Center in Pasadena. The foundation hopes to lease the historic Grace Nicholson Building.
• Respectively Yours: Instructor Denied Tenure, by Arty Kameda, page 4. Arty Kameda reports on efforts to win tenure for Mamoru Chuck Ogata, an economics instructor at San Jose State who was denied tenure. The writer believes the decision reflects intra-departmental politics and seeks reconsideration.
• Live for a Century, by Jim Henry, page 6. Jim Henry offers ten guidelines drawn from modern medicine for living to age 100, including balanced diet, regular work, exercise, and health checkups. He notes Japanese life expectancy has risen dramatically since the 1890s.
• Story of WW2 Renunciants Needs to Be Told: Loftis, by Dr. Clifford Uyeda, page 7. Anne Loftis, co-author of The Great Betrayal?, spoke about the need to document the experience of renunciants and dissidents at Tule Lake. She argued that the cleavage between loyal and disloyal Japanese Americans has not healed.
• ‘Lovely Ladies’ Not Racist, Says East-West Writer, by Manchester Fu, page 7. Manchester Fu reviews the musical Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen, adapted from The Teahouse of the August Moon, and addresses Asian protests over casting. He argues the show is not racist but would have benefited from an Asian actor in the lead.
• Reverent Reaction, by David J. White, page 8. David White writes a letter to the editor urging the JACL to avoid partisan politics and criticizing the tone of Warren Furutani’s remarks on Vietnam and racism. He argues the organization should represent all Japanese Americans regardless of party.
• Manzanar Speech, by Jim H. Matsuoka, page 8. Jim Matsuoka’s speech delivered at the Manzanar Pilgrimage in December 1969 condemns the wartime incarceration as a symbol of racism. He calls on Nisei to carry on the struggle and not remain silent like the buried generation.
• Friends, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A column reflecting on the holiday spirit, describing a Christmas gathering at a prison organized by Friends Outside and the inmate council. It notes the value of bringing families together despite security restrictions.

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