California’s FEPC vote and the road to a 1958 JACL convention in Boise

Vol. 44, No. 16, April 19, 1957. 8 pages. View this issue

California’s Assembly passed a fair employment practices bill, 61 to 15, and sent it to the state Senate, where a similar measure died two years earlier. Henry Mori’s Los Angeles column took up the vote. Mike Masaoka’s Washington newsletter followed the hearings on Hawaii statehood. On the front page, a Colusa Nisei described how easily JACL was received in the rural Sacramento Valley, and the Intermountain District Council set Aug. 22-25, 1958 for the next national JACL convention in Boise.

Bill Hosokawa reviewed the Japanese film The Phantom Horse, and Larry S. Tojiri looked at Joe Butterfly and other Hollywood films about Nisei. Masao Satow reported on JACL’s request that TV stations drop objectionable wartime films, and the Justice Department’s Japanese Claims Section reported 168 evacuation claim awards in March. Chapter news came from Snake River Valley, Cortez, Sequoia and Mt. Olympus, with sports and other columns inside.

What’s in this issue

Community

• No problem selling JACL in fringe area, page 1. A Colusa Nisei describes how JACL is received in the rural Sacramento Valley, where longstanding good relations built by the Tokuno family make membership promotion easy. The author also notes the successful integration of Japanese agricultural workers in Colusa.
• Venice-Culver maps drive for 300 members, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Venice-Culver JACL opened an intensive membership campaign dividing the Santa Monica Bay area into four recruiting sections. The chapter currently has 200 members compared with 180 the previous year.
• Goodwill for the land of our ancestry promoted by Colusa home adviser, by Akiji Yoshimura, page 2. Yoshimura praises Wanda Gumprecht, a Colusa County home adviser who spent six months in Japan on an exchange program and has since spoken to some 50 groups. He says her talks promote understanding of Japan and its people.
• 32% of $5,000 goal sought for American Museum of Immigration, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Northern and Central California Japanese American donations to the American Museum of Immigration campaign reached $1,554 from 299 contributors. The campaign closes at the end of the month.
• Optometrist appointed to Vision Conservation Institute, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. George Miyake of Fowler was appointed president of the Vision Conservation Institute of California. He is a past president of the Central California Optometric Society and Fowler JACL.
• Mike Masaoka named to Boy Scouts interracial service committee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mike Masaoka was appointed to the national Boy Scouts committee on interracial service, where he will promote scouting among Japanese Americans. Sadamu Eejima of Los Angeles is the only other Japanese American on the committee.
• Sansei lass champion speller in Sutter County, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ruth Goto, a sixth grader at Nuestro School, won the Sutter County spelling bee and advances to regional finals in Sacramento. She beat 13 other school representatives.
• NC-WNDC chairman appointed by Colusa mayor to boost municipal financing, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Akiji Yoshimura was named secretary of a Colusa citizens committee studying ways to increase city income. Mayor James Hamm said the city faces a financial crisis if heavy expenditures are made, with needed projects costing about $350,000.
• Clubs active in Sacramento flower festival-art show, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The fifth annual Japanese Flower Festival and Art Show runs April 20-28 at Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento, with Peter Osuga as chairman. Mayor Clarence Azevedo proclaimed the week of April 20 as Japanese Flower Festival and Art Show Week.
• Hayward Sansei wins Elks leadership award, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ann Sakai, a Hayward High School senior, won the Southern Alameda County Elks youth leadership contest and is eligible for the Northern California award. She also received the 1957 DAR good citizenship award.
• Sansei pupil serves as standby interpreter for Stockton science teacher, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Stockton teacher Charles Koepke uses a Japanese-English dictionary and student interpreters in his science class. Kenji Fujimoto, who arrived from Japan six months earlier, is among his pupils.
• Salt Lake JACL applauds Teahouse of the August Moon production, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Salt Lake JACL praised the University of Utah production of Teahouse of the August Moon, which featured local Japanese amateurs alongside university drama students. Keiko Nakahara played Lotus Blossom to capacity audiences.
• Snake River Valley JACL receives Chapter of the Year award, by Alice Kasai, page 4. Snake River Valley JACL received the first Intermountain District Council Chapter of the Year award for its 1956 activities. Highlights included a public relations program, a voter registration drive, and a clothing drive for Hungarian refugees.
• Boise Valley hosts IDC spring quarterly, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Intermountain District Council met in Boise, presenting the Chapter of the Year award and setting the 1958 convention dates. The next quarterly meeting will be hosted by Mt. Olympus chapter in August.
• Cortez JACL offers plaque for Scout competition, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Cortez JACL approved a perpetual plaque for the outstanding Boy Scout troop in the Ballico area and reported on its scouting sponsorship. The chapter also planned its 10th anniversary celebration.
• Clubs enlist for girl scout activities, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Helen Yuge and other Cortez JACL members presented Japanese dolls, art, and dances to 100 Girl Scouts at Castle Air Force Base. The children also participated in folk dances.
• Tri-Villes plan May 5 parents get-together, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Jr. and Sr. Tri-Villes units of the Sequoia chapter announced a parents’ get-together for May 5 in Redwood City. Committee members were named for the event.
• Mt. Olympus Turnabout party, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Women members of the Mt. Olympus JACL hosted a Turnabout party for male members at the Temple Square Hotel Garden Room in Salt Lake City, following an earlier party hosted by the men.
• Very Truly Yours: Racial prejudice of one man gone, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. Honda recounts the story of Robert Nail, a Los Angeles man who went blind after an accident and learned to see impressions of people without judging by skin color. Honda draws a lesson about the folly of racial discrimination.
• JACL-sponsored Speakers club in San Francisco attracts 25 men, by P.C. Staff, page 5. More than 25 people attended the initial meeting of a Speakers club sponsored by the San Francisco JACL, patterned after Toastmasters. The group plans to meet at the Buchanan St. YMCA.
• Sport bowling, golf, and track news, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Judy Seki rolled a 697 sweepers series for a new JACL record, and Fuzzy Shimada hit a 725 in the ABC tourney. The article also covers the Nisei Relays and the Northern California Nisei golf tournament.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: FEPC in a landslide, by Henry Mori, page 7. Mori examines the State Assembly’s FEPC vote and the arguments of opponents including Stewart, Collier, and Levering. He argues that the bill merely enforces the right to employment regardless of race.
• Chicago Corner: Vacation time, by Smoky H. Sakurada, page 7. Sakurada reports on the Chicago JACL April general meeting, where Harvey Aki’s travel program covered destinations including the West Indies and Mexico. The Mutual Aid Society also celebrated its 25th anniversary.
• Washington Newsletter: Statehood for Hawaii, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Masaoka reports on House and Senate hearings on Hawaii statehood, including a Justice Department statement favoring statehood and a dispute over communist influence. He notes that Republican and Democratic members clashed over the hearing process.
• Plan youth forum for East L.A. CLers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. East Los Angeles JACL planned a Let Youth Speak panel of teenagers discussing the 18-year-old vote, interracial dating, and media. The meeting is set for April 26 at International Institute.
• Oriental assailant robs Yamato Sukiyaki owner, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Shigematsu Ishizaki, owner of Yamato Sukiyaki in San Francisco, was robbed and beaten by an assailant who was interrupted while trying to crack the safe. About $300 and a tape recorder were taken.
• Ishimaru wins national insurance honors, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Haruo Ishimaru, a West Coast Life Insurance district manager, was elected to the National All Star honor roll of life insurance underwriters. He was recognized in the April issue of Insurance Salesmen.

JACL

• 15th Biennial Convention Set Aug. 22-25, 1958, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Intermountain District Council set the dates for the 1958 national JACL convention in Boise, to be hosted by the Salt Lake City chapter. The date was chosen to accommodate delegates from the district.
• Pacific Southwest District Council convention set for Anaheim, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The PSWDC convention will be held May 18-19 at Anaheim, featuring officer elections and presentation of the National JACL citation to Ralph Edwards. East Los Angeles JACL is hosting the event.

National

• Calif. Assembly OKs FEPC bill 61-15 in landslide approval, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The California Assembly passed a fair employment practices commission bill banning job discrimination based on race, color or creed. The bill now moves to the state Senate, where a similar measure died two years earlier.
• Takeshi Kudo, Hawaiian Nisei picked outstanding young farmer, grew coffee on lava soil, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Takeshi Kudo of Kona, Hawaii, was named one of four Outstanding Young Farmers of 1956 for developing coffee and macadamia production on submarginal lava land. His methods drew attention from foreign experts and he has shared them with other growers.
• Senator Magnuson interested in JACL TV film project, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator Warren Magnuson, chairman of the Senate committee overseeing television, expressed interest in JACL’s campaign asking TV stations not to show wartime films impugning Japanese Americans. He asked to be kept informed of the results.
• Anti-bias bill in redevelopment passes committee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A California Assembly committee approved AB 367, which would bar race, color, or national origin restrictions on the sale, lease, or rental of redeveloped property. The bill was introduced by Assemblyman Edward E. Elliott of Los Angeles.
• Colo. congressman Rogers named to farm labor survey, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congressman Byron Rogers of Colorado was named to a House subcommittee investigating the temporary Japanese Agricultural Workers Program in California, joining Republican Patrick Hillings. Hearings were scheduled in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several farm areas in April.
• Civil rights bill due Senate action soon, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Judiciary Committee was expected to begin consideration of civil rights legislation. The article is truncated in the OCR text.
• National Director’s Report: Oregon-Idaho weekend, by Masao Satow, page 4. Satow describes his visit to the Boise Valley and Snake River chapters, noting their strong membership and public relations. He also reports that about 50 TV stations have responded favorably to JACL’s request to delete objectionable wartime films.
• Tokyo Topics: Yellow Peril Again?, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 6. Murayama reports that Japanese officials and local lawyer Frank Scolinos denounced an American Legion magazine article alleging mistreatment of American prisoners in Japanese jails. Officials said the charges were false and that inmates received ample food.
• Tsui citizenship restored by State Department, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The State Department restored the citizenship of Akira Tsui, who had been conscripted into the Japanese Army, finding his service occurred under duress. This is the first such administrative restoration by the department.

Military & Veterans

• Masaoka to discuss Gl war brides at national confab for social workers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mike Masaoka, JACL Washington representative, will serve as a discussant at the National Conference of Social Work in Philadelphia on a panel about Japanese wives of U.S. military personnel. The session is scheduled for May 21.
• Nisei wins award in national essay contest, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Lt. Col. Bert N. Nishimura of Fort Shafter received the Freedoms Foundation Honor Medal for his essay on voting as a freedom privilege. He is a veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Commentary

• Phantom horse emissary, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa reviews the Japanese film The Phantom Horse, noting it shows contemporary Japan and portrays Japanese people as similar to Americans. He also writes about his son’s struggle with the costs of driving and a friend’s enigmatic letter.
• Vagaries: Joe Butterfly, by Larry S. Tojiri, page 3. Tojiri examines the Universal-International film Joe Butterfly and its Tokyo Rose plot, and reviews other Hollywood films featuring Nisei or Japanese American characters. He notes the film industry’s changing treatment of interracial romance.
• The Northwest Picture: Sick report, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Elmer Ogawa writes that he was hospitalized at the Veterans Administration and will miss his column this week. He also updates readers on his brother Herb Ogawa’s work in Dallas.

Incarceration & Redress

• 168 claims award totaling $160,000 granted in March, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Justice Department’s Japanese Claims Section made 168 evacuation claim awards in March totaling about $160,000. Most went to claimants in California.

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