JACL’s campaign against an anti-Japanese slur and a new look at district councils

Vol. 45, No. 7, August 16, 1957. 8 pages. View this issue

JACL’s campaign to retire the word ‘Jap’ drew support in this eight-page issue. Japan’s U.N. Ambassador Koto Matsudaira pledged his cooperation after a delegation met him, and Consul General Mitsuo Tanaka in New York did the same. Dr. Roy Nishikawa’s column described a new Pacific Southwest District Council meeting built around committee reports. Mike Masaoka wrote from Washington on immigration, urging action on the Dirksen amendments, and on the weakened civil rights bill that passed the Senate. The Justice Department approved 120 evacuation claims, and the first claim went to the Court of Claims.

Also inside: plans for the Chicago EDC-MDC convention, Lorry S. Tojiri’s columns on Van Heflin’s Issei friend, Harry Belafonte and singer Pat Suzuki, and Harry Honda’s report from the NC-WNDC meeting in Monterey. Thomas C. Yoneda was named the 1957 Haruye Masaoka scholarship winner, and Nisei Week opened.

What’s in this issue

Community

• A fresh approach for district councils, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 1. The Pacific Southwest District Council plans a quarterly meeting built around reports from newly created committees to boost member participation. The president notes the difficulty of effective officer and committee work across distances and asks readers for concrete suggestions.
• Chapter president hurt in explosion, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Detroit JACL president Yoshio Kasai suffered second and third degree burns when gasoline ignited at his workplace. His glasses protected his eyes from serious injury.
• Thomas C. Yoneda 1957 scholarship winner, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Thomas C. Yoneda of Sonoma County was named the 1957 winner of the Haruye Masaoka scholarship. He excelled academically and athletically at Petaluma High School and declined an athletic scholarship to Stanford for an academic award.
• Consul-general in full support of JACL fight to rid word ‘Jap’, by William Sakayama, page 4. Japanese Consul General Mitsuo Tanaka in New York pledged full cooperation with JACL’s campaign against the word ‘Jap’ and agreed to instruct his staff accordingly. The New York JACL chapter also plans to reactivate its committee on the issue.
• Summer-fall slate in Minn. disclosed, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Twin Cities JACL outlined its upcoming activities, including an August steak fry, a fall general meeting showing a film on Mike Masaoka, and a golf tournament. The chapter will also report on the EDC-MDC convention.
• Buddhist church being built by volunteers, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Volunteers have contributed over 4,000 hours of labor to build a new Buddhist church in Ontario, Oregon, now about two-thirds complete. Completion is targeted for February of the following year, in time for the Northwest Young Buddhist convention.
• Over 200 attend NC-WNDC quarterly hosted by Monterey CLers, by Harry Honda, page 5. The NC-WNDC quarterly meeting in Monterey drew over 200 attendees to sessions and a banquet. Rev. Karel Vit, a Czech-American instructor, spoke about his experiences escaping Communist Czechoslovakia and the importance of freedom.
• Fashions in perspective adds glamor to EDC-MDC convention, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A fashion show titled Fashions in Perspective will be staged during the Chicago EDC-MDC convention featuring local designers and models plus New York designer Reiko Kutsuki. The event is organized by committee chairman Sachi Izumi.
• Golf title; Sanda fires 77 for low gross, by P.C. Staff, page 6. San Francisco won the NC-WNDC golf team championship at Monterey with a net total of 217. Mike Sanda and Jim Uyeda tied for low gross honors.
• Games chairman losing sleep to devise picnic stunts, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Washington, D.C. JACL chapter is hosting a community picnic with games, food and recreation at Homewood Recreation Center. Organizers are preparing games for the event.
• Nisei Week festival opens, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The 11th annual Nisei Week festival opens with a Pioneer Night stage show and Issei recognition program. Hawaii’s Miss Ohina queen Elaine Higuchi attends the week’s events.

National

• Claim to Court of Claims filed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Justice Department approved 120 evacuation claims totaling $545,221.87 for July and early August. The first claim referred to the Court of Claims under the JACL-COJAEC amendment was filed by the Koda brothers of Dos Palos, Calif.
• Matsudaira to cooperate in JACL campaign to depopularize ‘Jap’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japan’s U.N. Ambassador Koto Matsudaira pledged cooperation with JACL’s campaign against the word ‘Jap’ after a delegation met him over his remarks in a New York television interview. He apologized and said he personally opposes the term as a racial slur.
• JACL urges congressional action on Dirksen or comparable immigration bill, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Washington JACL representative Mike Masaoka urged Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Eastland to report the Dirksen immigration amendments this session. He also asked that quota deductions caused by displaced persons legislation be cancelled.

JACL

• Future course of JACL subject at EDC-MDC meet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A forum at the Chicago EDC-MDC convention will examine JACL’s future direction, with speakers including Dr. Thomas Yatabe, Mike Masaoka and Dr. Kermit Eby. A separate Junior JACL forum for younger Nisei and Sansei is also planned.

Arts & Entertainment

• Van Heflin’s Issei friend, by Lorry S. Tojiri, page 3. Actor Van Heflin recalls his boyhood friendship with Issei vegetable peddler Sonoda in Long Beach, with whom he worked summers. He kept in touch during his travels and acting career until Sonoda was evacuated and later died in Japan.
• Nisei teaching Belafonte Japanese folksongs, by Lorry S. Tojiri, page 3. Harry Belafonte says Nisei dancer Dorothy Maruki is teaching him Japanese folk songs for his repertoire. The column also notes Belafonte’s refusal of stereotyped roles and Maruki’s career in stage and television.
• Singer Pat Suzuki, by Lorry S. Tojiri, page 3. Pat Suzuki, who learned to sing during her years at the Granada relocation camp, is gaining national attention after a Time magazine feature. She is preparing records for Vik and receiving offers from nightclubs across the country.

Military & Veterans

• Jet pilot killed in takeoff crash, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ensign Frank Akio Ouchi, a recently commissioned jet pilot, was killed when his fighter crashed during takeoff at the Chincoteague naval air station. He was a former Fresno resident and had completed 18 months of training.
• Lt. Robert Hayashida beats his way out of wilderness after ordeal, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Army Lt. Robert M. Hayashida survived twelve days alone in the Cle Elum wilderness after an injury and getting lost. He eventually reached a highway and was reunited with his family and unit.
• Navy’s first Nisei chaplain reports to Bainbridge, Md., naval training center, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Chaplain Peter Ota, the Navy’s first Nisei chaplain, has reported for duty at the Bainbridge naval training center. He says counseling in the Navy has been a fruitful field for his ministry and hopes someday to serve in Japan.

Commentary

• Pointing southwestward: Monterey memories, by Fred Takata, page 4. Pacific Citizen circulation manager Fred Takata recounts his trip to the NC-WNDC meeting in Monterey, including socializing with Bay Area members. He reports circulation at 5,526 and describes the Introductory Offer to build subscriptions.
• Inspiration in JACL’s twin mottos, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. The editor argues that JACL’s mottos, Security Through Unity and Better Americans in a Greater America, answer the recurring question of the organization’s objectives. He urges members to ask what they can contribute rather than what JACL’s goals are.
• Washington Newsletter: Civil rights question, by Mike Masaoka, page 7. Masaoka analyzes how the Senate passed a weakened civil rights bill after Southern senators shifted the debate to Title III and jury trials. He raises concern that accepting a weak bill now could foreclose further civil rights legislation for years.

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