Detention camp rumors, civil rights and Sansei voices in 1968

Vol. 66, No. 21, May 24, 1968. 6 pages. View this issue

Civil rights and the shadow of the wartime camps ran through this six-page issue. Attorney General Ramsey Clark rejected rumors that the government keeps concentration camps, after a House Un-American Activities Committee proposal to reopen detention centers for black nationalists. San Jose attorney Grayson Taketa, seeking a congressional nomination, condemned that idea. On the commentary pages, Shirley Matsumura, Ken Kida and Fremont Ogawa weighed how Japanese Americans should respond to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., while Jerry Enomoto wrote about dignity for all and Izumi Taniguchi used census figures to show a pay gap for Japanese American men.

Other pages covered JACL business ahead of the 1968 National JACL Convention in San Jose: the Nisei of the Biennium deadline, the essay contest, and the Inagaki Testimonial Fund. Chapter news included scholarship winners in Central California and Colorado, Ray Uno’s run for the Utah senate, and a Junior JACL gift of $900 to the Peace Corps. Jeffrey Matsui wrote about the welfare of aging Issei.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Dignity for All, by Enomoto, page 1. The author reflects on the California Probation, Parole, and Correctional Association’s controversial resolutions on capital punishment, open housing, and state service cutbacks. He questions the relevance of these issues to a professional group and urges JACL to focus on dignity for all Americans.
• Identity Going to Pot!, by Alon Kumamoto, page 4. The author argues that American ethnic identity persists through celebrations even as society is not a true melting pot. He draws on psychoanalyst Allen Wheelis to explore how groups provide identity, and warns that groups failing to offer meaning will be superseded.
• Issei Welfare, by Jeffrey Matsui, page 4. The author criticizes the Nisei community and JACL for lacking welfare programs for aging Issei, noting that proud elders sometimes refuse aid and starve rather than seek help. He recounts an elderly Issei woman who finally inquired about public welfare.
• Immigrant Heritages, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. The editorial examines Prof. Thomas Magner’s analysis of how immigrant cultural heritages fade across three generations in America. It concludes that pluralism will eventually disappear as American culture becomes increasingly homogenous.
• Sansei; Wake-up!, by Shirley Matsumura, page 6. A Sansei writer describes how the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. awakened her to the need for involvement in human relations. She urges other young Japanese Americans to become engaged rather than remaining isolated in a protective bubble.
• What Price Apathy?, by Twin Cities JACL Newsletter, page 6. The writer argues that Nisei who received evacuation reparations should support Negro reparations for centuries of denied rights. He contends the Nisei have been more apathetic than the white community on civil rights.
• Understanding, by Ken Kida, page 6. A San Diego State chemistry student urges Japanese Americans to sympathize with Negroes, noting that Japanese adapted more easily to American life due to their technological heritage and family ties. He argues Japanese Americans who faced prejudice should support Black civil rights efforts.
• Black vs. White, by Fremont Ogawa, page 6. Fremont Ogawa suggests JACL should not force total commitment to social action, proposing that civil rights activists form a separate committee. He argues the Pacific Citizen should present facts rather than paint JACL with a coat of guilt.
• Detached Workers Program, by Y. Philip Hayasaka, page 6. The column describes Seattle’s Detached Workers Program, a street-based outreach initiative aimed at preventing juvenile delinquency among minority youth. The program, launched in April 1967 through the Human Rights Commission and CAMP, has gained wide recognition.

National

• Subtle Discrimination Against Japanese in Labor Market Noted, by Izumi Taniguchi, page 1. Fresno State professor Izumi Taniguchi uses census statistics to show that Japanese American males earn less than white males despite higher education levels. He argues that a ceiling on income and promotion persists for Japanese men in California’s labor market.
• ‘Boy’ on Forbidden List for Policemen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Washington police guidelines were amended to add the word ‘boy’ to a list of derogatory terms officers should avoid. The change followed criticism from district officials and civil rights leaders over the original 1966 order.
• G. Taketa Hits HCUA Suggestion on Detention Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Grayson Taketa, a San Jose attorney seeking the Democratic nomination for the 10th Congressional District, condemned the HCUA proposal to reopen detention camps for ghetto rioters. He is the first mainland Nisei to run for a congressional seat.

Community

• Ray Uno Files for Utah Senate Seat, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Salt Lake City attorney Raymond Uno has filed to run for the Utah state senate in the Democratic primary for Salt Lake County. The 47-year-old former deputy attorney general is a past president of the Salt Lake JACL chapter.
• Long Beach JACL to Host Miss Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Miss Japan, Yoko Sunami, will visit Long Beach June 16-22 under the auspices of the local JACL chapter. Events include a garden party introducing Miss Harbor candidates and a coronation ball.
• Colorado Community Scholarships Planned, by Harry M. Honda, page 3. The Colorado Community Scholarship banquet will honor eleven Japanese high school graduates on June 15 in Denver. Participating organizations on the special committee include several Denver churches and civic groups.
• Pair Wins $125 Scholarships, by Harry M. Honda, page 3. Philip George Koga of Fresno McLane High and JoAnne Yano of Reedley High were selected as winners of the $125 Central California District Council scholarship from a field of 36. Both students are academically top-ranked and active in campus organizations.
• Portland Graduates Honored at Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Portland JACL will hold its annual graduation banquet May 25 at the Benson Hotel honoring local Sansei graduates. Rep. Edith Green will be guest speaker.
• Gardena Valley JACL Installs Hiraide, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Local attorney Hiraide will be installed as 1968 president of the Gardena Valley JACL. Judge George R. Haruyama will be guest speaker at the installation dinner.
• Peace Corps Project Receives $900 from Jr. JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The National Youth Council of the Junior JACL presented a $900 check to the Peace Corps to fund overseas school construction. The money was raised through bake sales and car washes by about 40 chapters.

JACL

• Bank of Tokyo Pledges $500 to Inagaki Testimonial Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Bank of Tokyo of California has contributed $500 to kick off the Inagaki Testimonial Fund, which will establish a citizenship award honoring former JACL president Inagaki. The award will be presented at the 1968 National JACL Convention in San Jose.
• Nominations for Nisei of Biennium Are Due June 15, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chapters have been reminded that June 15 is the deadline for nominating candidates for the Nisei of the Biennium recognition at the 1968 National JACL Convention. A screening committee will meet June 21 to select finalists.
• Convention Honor Roll for 1000 Club Members to Close May 31, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL National Headquarters announced that the convention honor roll of active 1000 Club members will include those whose memberships are current through May 31. The roll will be published in the San Jose Convention souvenir booklet.
• JACL Essay Contest Deadline Moved to Midnight July 1, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The deadline for the National JACL essay contest has been extended to July 1, with the theme ‘JACL — Heritage for the Future.’ Prizes include savings bonds and a trophy, presented in memory of late Pacific Citizen editor Larry Tajiri.
• Confab Corral: Package Deal and Convention Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The column reports on Omaha, Tulare County, and Salinas Valley delegations planning to attend the San Jose convention. It also explains the three-tier pricing for the convention Package Deal, with early registration discounts before June 15 and August 1.

Military & Veterans

• Col. Sakamoto to Address May 30 San Bruno Rites, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lt. Col. Thomas T. Sakamoto will be the featured speaker at the annual Nisei Memorial Services at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno. The services are sponsored by the NC-WNDC JACL District Council, VFW Post 9879, and MIS veterans.
• Youth Model Own Gowns at Mothers Day Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The French Camp JACL held its annual Mother’s Day party, honoring adviser Mrs. Tak Hamamoto. Youth members presented a fashion show of home-made dresses.
• Hall Hospitalized, by P.C. Staff, page 5. TLWU regional director Jack W. Hall will be hospitalized for about six weeks at Kaiser Hospital following an emergency appendectomy complicated by diabetes and peritonitis.

Incarceration & Redress

• Justice Dept. Still Denying Rumors of Detention Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney General Ramsey Clark rejected rumors that the government maintains concentration camps, responding to a House Un-American Activities Committee proposal to reopen detention centers for black nationalists. Assistant AG J. Walter Yeagley explained that the McCarran Act provisions would not apply to such situations.

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