III. appellate PACIFIC CrrlZEN court overturns Publication of the National Japanese American Citizens League Okubo-Yamada Vol. 86 No. 1 New Year Special: Jan. 6-13, 1978 20¢ Postpaid U.S. 15 Cents STOCKTON, Calif.-It was a go law firm of Baskin, festive Christmas for the Server and Berke. It is "ex­ Okubo and Yamada families tremely unlikely" the appel­ here upon hearing from late court would grant Hil­ their Chicago attorneys just ton Hotel a rehearing at the before the holidays that the appellate level nor receive Jr. Miss Pageant bars alien aspirants lllinois appellate court had permission to appeal to the SEATTLE-Pacific Northwest JACL leaders concede the "It would seem only right and proper that the pageant reversed the Cook County lllinois supreme court, fight to reinstate a 17-year-{)ld Vietnamese girl of Dayton, rules should be amended to include in their qualifications trial court decision and or­ Berke added. He said! Wash. who was denied the Touchet Valley Junior Miss dered the 1975 civil suit "The end result, after all of pageant candidates the words 'and aliens legally ad­ aeainst the Hilton Hotel title because she was not an American citizen has most these petitions, is that we are mitted as pennanent residents of the United States'," Ya­ Corp. to be reheard going to be given amthero~ likely been lost. mamoto wrote in a letter to the Spokane Spokesman Re­ The Okubo-Yamada case portunity to try this case or The state Junior Miss Pageant will be held at Wenat­ view. had alleged a breach of ex­ settle it before trial" chee Jan. 21-28, and local Jaycees sponsoring the event "As an emergency measure, we feel that-to the ever­ pressed or implied warranty In Sacramento, national have not softened their stance since the Oct. 15 local con­ lasting credit of the Jaycees-they should take whatever and negligence on Hilton's JACL legal counsel Frank A test, when Phoeng-N goc Davis emerged as the Dayton steps necessary to change their pageant rules and regula­ part in not providing ade­ Iwama commented the good winner. tions to reinstate Miss Phoeng-N goc Davis to her original quate security and accom­ news should boost the JACL J ACL leaders, however, are still working to eliminate title as the current Touchet Valley Junior Miss." modations at the hotel and OkubolYamada Fund drive sought to recover for injur­ the citizenship requirement for the contest and are hop­ (see Sept. 16, 1m, PC) to Miss Davis, daughter of Sau-Thi Davis, was born in ies sustained by Carol Ranko ing to persuade Jaycees statewide the stipulation is un­ help the Okubo and Yamada Vietnam and is a student at Dayton High SchooL Yamada and for the death of families defray legal ex­ necessary, said Ed Yamamoto, immediate past governor Under immigration rules, she is not allowed to apply for Evelynn Okubo. penses in the case. No funds of the Pacific Northwest District Council, of Columbia citizenship until she is 18, Carlton said. The news of the appellate raised will be used for attor­ Basin JACL. While PNWDC officials commended the Jaycees for court decision filed Dec. 21 ney fees. (To date about In letters to the Dayton Jaycees and local newspapers, "demonstrating its fairness in the selection process" and came from their attorney $3,500 has been raised both Yamamoto and Minoru Masuda, chairman of the not denying Miss Davis her scholarship, they cannot un­ Perry M. Berke of the Chica- -Ed.) 0 PNWDC Committee Against Defamation of Seattle, pro­ derstand why the citizenship requirement was not discov­ tested the disqualification of Miss Davis. ered until after the pageant. Pageant officials did allow her to keep the scholarship "It seems to us that this knowledge could have averted u.s. again to ask race she won in the contest, though they disqualified her from this hurtful and embarrassing predicament," Masuda the state event. First runner-up Jerri Jackson, 17, of Pres­ said in a letter to Carlton. and sex data for jobs cott will participate instead, according to Bob Carlton, Both men agreed the case was an unintentional mistake W ASHINGTON-WithPres­ ted employment opportuni­ Dayton Jaycees president. on the Jaycees' part. 0 ident Carter's approval, the ties of persons of Japanese Civil Service Commission ancestry commensurate with once again will require U.S. their qualifications. The JACL HEADQUARTERS BACKS SPOKANE job seekers to answer ques­ Washington D.C. JACL in tions about sex, race and eth­ 1963 recommended the U.s. nic background in their job COmmission on Ovil Rightl!i Wash. State charged with anti.;.Asian bias applications, according to the launch a comprehensi~ Washington Post study as to the number, 0c­ SPOKANE, Wash.-A four said, currently maintains Later, a proposal for a Na­ dences discriminatory treat­ Federal officials said they cupation levels and progress year battle over whether an other ethnic programs, in­ tional Endowment for the ment of Asian Americans did not know precisely when being made by federal wor­ Asian American studies pro­ cluding black, Chicano and Humanities grant was pre­ and a lack of good faith on the new infonnation will be kers of Japanese ancestry.) gram should be instituted at Native American studies. pared, with the hope WSU the part of the WSU adminis­ required of job candidates, Now, however, with the Washington State Universi­ Efforts to secure an Asian would not have to finance tration". but they expected questions approval of many of the same ty has culminated with American studies program, the entire project. The -ll-page complaint to be on applications for var­ civil rights groups, the go­ charges of discrimination however, have been re­ In both cases, the propo­ said the university has "ab­ ious positions in early 1978. vernment waI1ts to obtain the and a complaint' being filed buffed, causing the Spokane sals were eventually reject­ dicated its responsibility The government had infonnation again to help in against the school by the JACL and entire Pacific ed. But the disapproval of towards its Asian American dropped all race and sex iden­ recruiting of more women JACL Spokane Chapter. Northwest District Council the studies center hit sup­ students and the communi­ tification from job applica­ and minorities. The administrative com­ to consolidate their support porters the hardest. ties it should ultimately tions during the 19605 after Civil rights groups further plaint, filed with the U.S. in pressing the case. No clear-cut reason was serve, and in so doing, has civil rights groups com­ argue that lack of reliable in­ gi'{en by the university as to Dept. of Health, Education At a PNWDC meeting Dec. violated Title VI of the Civil plained the infonnation was formation about job appli­ and Welfare in November, 11, chapters unanimously why a program failed to sur­ Rights Act of 1964 and used to discriminate against cant's race and background alleges WSU administrators voted to support the Spokane face. One concluded that the Executive Order 11246". minorities. hampers official efforts to have discriminated against Chapter's efforts. The chap­ percentage time of the pro­ (It is recalled that JACL hire minorities and to mo~ Asian Americans, prompting ter has also garnered sup­ fessor who would head the Complainants go on to al­ was aware then that lack of tor their careers under affir­ some to sayan unhealthy af­ port at the national level, re­ center would be fractional­ lege WSU has failed to pro­ job statistics by race affec- mative action 0 firmative action environ­ ceiving the green light from ized too much, leaving him vide monies fo- recruiting ment has been created on National Director Karl No­ unproductive in the two Asian students, although the campus. buyuki. other areas he was assigned $4,000 is allocated to lure "There has been a nega­ Still, the chances of seeing to. documents said. Chicano, black and Native tive climate at WSU. There a program instituted in the Finances were another Americans, and similarly are people interested and in near future are slim. And matter, with administrators has failed to attract Asian American faculty and ad­ support of an Asian Ameri­ Yasuhara is not overly op­ saying enough money to sup­ can program," Denny Yasu­ timistic the HEW will step in port secretarial services ministrators. and investigate the universi­ were unavailable. • hara, Spokane Ad-Hoc Com­ The issues were further mittee chairman and spokes­ ty, although "HEW is one of In 1976, however, 28 new the better" federal agencies positions were funded by the complicated when instruc­ man, said. "There are Asian tor Anthony Wong was de­ staff members coming to to intervene in such issues. university, and not one was "It's nothing but pure, un­ designated for an Asian nied a reclaSsification as a meetings who ordinarily Senior Architect, though his would not attend. But this is adulterated insensitivity," American Scholar position, he · s~j . "Basically, the uni­ although backers had re­ credentials exceeded the re­ a can of worms. Most of the quirements. When the Asian staff are not tenured." versity has ::.'i..)newalled us. ceived a "firm oral commit­ They think we're a fly-by­ ment" such a post would be school's Discriminatory The unsuccessful at- Practices Committee found tempts to establish a pro­ night organization We don't created. want to make it an emotional Although disappointed af­ he had been a victim of race gram at the university came bias, Dr. Wallis Beasley, to the Pacific Northwest Dis­ issue, though. We get more ter WSU's failure to assign mileage out of being factu­ the position, supporters re­ WSU executive vice presi­ trict Council's attention last dent and officer in charge of September, according to Ya­ al." ceived continued encourage­ ment, which led to "good the Mfirmative Action Of­ suhara.