School Chief’s Reference to Asians Stirs Complaint
A Japanese-American attorney has complained that the superintendent of the Las Virgenes school district referred to “slant-eyed” Asians in an appearance before a civic group, and then refused her demand for an apology.
Lyn K. Philipps of Calabasas, the attorney, said Supt. Albert Marley made the reference while showing vacation slides to the Optimist Club of Calabasas. Marley does not deny using the term, but said it was not meant to be derogatory.
The Japanese-American Citizens League is investigating the complaint that Marley used the term in a March presentation to the Optimist Club while showing slides he took on a trip to China. Marley described his 58th birthday celebration in a hotel restaurant and the curiosity it triggered among locals, contrasting his party of “round-eyed” tourists with the rest of the dining room’s “slant-eyed” patrons.
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