Civil rights, the Washington Office and Nisei graduates in 1959

Vol. 48, No. 23, June 5, 1959. 8 pages. View this issue

Civil rights and the future of JACL’s Washington Office ran through this eight-page issue. JACL submitted a statement urging Congress to enact comprehensive civil rights legislation, printed across pages 2 and 7. Harry K. Honda and Frank F. Chuman each wrote about the Washington Office after Mike Masaoka asked to be relieved of his post following the 1960 convention. Masaoka also reviewed Congress’s slow progress on major bills. On the front page, a Toronto Daily Star editorial asked Canada to apologize for its wartime evacuation of Japanese Canadians.

Bill Hosokawa’s column looked back at the job discrimination Nisei graduates once faced. Chapter news covered scholarships, picnics and graduation dances. Front-page items included Joe Saito’s appointment to the Oregon State Board of Agriculture and Hiroshi Miyamura’s seat on the Gallup Planning Commission. Page 2 collected newspaper comment on the Justice Department’s restitution to wrongly evacuated Nisei.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• What You Can Do to Fight Communism, page 1. The FBI has released a poster listing civic steps Americans can take against communism, such as learning its tactics, voting for integrity, and attacking bigotry. The editorial notes the poster focuses on domestic anti-communism and points to JACL’s own longstanding policy opposing totalitarianism.
• Washington Office Vital to JACL, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. JACL’s National Board is to consider the future of its Washington Office after Mike Masaoka asked to be relieved of his post after the 1960 convention. The editorial argues that the office and its representative are essential to JACL’s legislative success.
• JACL Statement on Civil Rights, by Washington JACL Office, page 2. JACL submitted a statement urging Congress to enact comprehensive civil rights legislation, including repeal of anti-alien land laws and interracial marriage bans. The statement argues federal enforcement is necessary because states have failed to eliminate racial discrimination.
• Press Comments: Righting a Wrong, by Washington Daily News, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Star, page 2. Several newspapers praised the Justice Department’s completion of restitution to Nisei who were wrongly evacuated during World War II. The editorials highlight the government’s public acknowledgment of its error and the restoration of citizenship to renunciants.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa reflects on how Nisei graduates in earlier decades faced severe employment discrimination despite strong qualifications. He contrasts that era with today’s broader opportunities, crediting the perseverance of Issei and older Nisei.
• Pointing Southwestward, by Fred Takata, page 4. Takata marks his third year as Regional Director and columnist, describing the Hawaiian luau, JAL reception, and Nisei Relays. He thanks volunteers and sponsors who made the events successful.
• By the Board, by Frank F. Chuman, page 5. National Legal Counsel Frank Chuman discusses the upcoming National Board and Staff meeting in San Francisco and the future of the Washington Office. He argues strongly that Mike Masaoka’s services are irreplaceable.
• JACL Statement on Civil Rights (Continued), by Washington JACL Office, page 7. The continued JACL statement argues the Fourteenth Amendment requires federal enforcement of civil rights. It concludes Congress and the President must act to secure equal rights for all Americans.

Community

• Oregon Governor Names JACLer to State Agricultural Board, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Joe Saito, a Snake River Valley farmer and JACL member, was appointed to the Oregon State Board of Agriculture by Gov. Mark Hatfield. He is believed to be the first Japanese American appointed by a governor to a state board.
• Cherry Tree Project Approved by Idaho JACL Chapters for Boise Park, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Idaho JACL chapters agreed to fund a Japanese cherry tree project for a memorial park in Boise, at $150 total or $30 per chapter. The project was initiated by national JACL third vice-president George Sugai after a request from a state senator.
• One Day’s Receipts of Car Wash Collected for Reedley Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Reedley JACL raised scholarship funds through a one-day car wash operation staffed by chapter members. Ken Kawasaki was named the 1959 scholarship recipient, open to all Reedley High graduates regardless of nationality.
• Buddhist Church Leader to Address Seminar, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bishop Shinsho Hanayama, newly appointed head of the Buddhist Churches of America, will lecture at the July 10-12 BCA summer seminar at Asilomar. He will also tour Buddhist churches in the Northwest and Southern California.
• Nisei Pastor Elected Civic Unity Group Head, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. Abraham H. Dohi, pastor of Sturge Presbyterian Church in San Mateo, was elected president of the Mid Peninsula Council for Civic Unity. San Mateo JACL president Haruo Ishimaru was also elected to the board.
• Hi-Y Boy of Year, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Stanley Ishii, a graduating Huntington Beach High student, was named Hi-Y boy of the year for the combined Huntington Beach-Newport districts. He is also active in the Orange County JAYs and was a hurdler on the track team.
• Heart Specialist Given $9,000 Research Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Hiroshi Kuida, an instructor at the University of Utah College of Medicine, received a $9,350 American Heart Association grant for blood volume and blood pressure studies. He was one of three Utah scientists honored with awards totaling $20,735.
• Oregon Nisei Vets Honor Ontario Grad, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Beverly Kariya, valedictorian of Ontario High School in Oregon, was named a scholarship winner by the Oregon Nisei War Veterans, Inc. The $150 award may be used at a college of her choice.
• Pioneer Japanese Family of Denver Interviewed for NBC Minority Series, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Y. Terasaki family of Denver, including Issei pioneers and their children, was interviewed for an NBC radio series on minority problems. Yutaka Tak Terasaki chairs the Mountain-Plains JACL and has been active in community affairs.
• Hawaii Attorney General to Attend Utah Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii Attorney General Jack M. Mizuha will speak on transitional problems of statehood at the Western Conference of Attorneys General in Salt Lake City. He withdrew from the state senate race to focus on his job.
• Learns English by Teaching Children Culture of Okinawa, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mrs. John Songas, formerly Kiyo Kishimoto, teaches Okinawan culture to neighborhood children in St. Paul, Minnesota, while improving her own English. A photo of the children in kimono was featured in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Ohio Pastor Learns English… Pachi, by Frank M. Ono, page 2. A reader writes to the Pacific Citizen about reconnecting with a former acquaintance after many years. The letter praises the newspaper for keeping communities in touch.
• Denver Community Picnic Set July 26, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The annual Denver Japanese community picnic will be held July 26 at Berkeley Park, sponsored by the Colorado Nikkei-jin Kai with Mile-Hi JACL in charge of activities. Henry Suzuki announced the plans.
• Yellowstone Chapter Picnic This Sunday, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Yellowstone JACL annual picnic will be held at Porter Park in Rexburg, Idaho, with races, prizes, and refreshments scheduled. The event starts at 10 a.m.
• Acrobatic Dancer to Vie in Exchange Club Finals, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Cathy Okamura, a 12-year-old from Ballico, won the district Search for Talent competition and will compete at the state finals in Santa Rosa. Her parents are active Cortez JACLers.
• Tennis Star Elected Delano High Leader, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Wesley Honbo became the first Japanese American elected student body president at Delano High School. He had previously served in multiple leadership roles and was a leading tennis player.
• Chicago Sansei Awarded $500 Mayor Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Chicago Parker High School senior was among 104 graduates selected for the Mayor Daley Youth Foundation scholarship. She plans to attend the University of Illinois.
• Pioneer Japanese Family of Denver Interviewed for NBC, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Terasaki family was interviewed for a national NBC minority problems series. Three generations are represented in the broadcast.
• Scholarship Winner Virginia College Salutatorian, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Anne Izumi, daughter of a St. Louis family formerly of Los Angeles, was named salutatorian of Lynchburg College. She was active on campus in student government and religious organizations.
• Chicago 1000ers Still Goo Timing, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Chicago JACL 1000ers held their annual wingding themed as a hobo night out, with members in costume and fined in mock raids. Photos show chapter members enjoying the event.
• California Nisei Resettling in Idaho Falls Goes for Old Fashioned American Red Barns, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Fred Ochi, an Idaho Falls artist who moved from California in 1942, paints watercolor landscapes featuring red barns and rural scenes. His work has been exhibited and his sons also take up painting.
• Three Idaho Chapters in Joint Grad Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Yellowstone JACL chapters will jointly honor Nisei graduates at a dance at the White Elephant Supper Club. The event recognizes local graduates.
• Stockton Vets, JACL Hold Joint Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Stockton JACL and Nisei Veterans Club held joint memorial services at the Nisei War Memorial Monument. Japanese clergy delivered sermons and a Gold Star mother laid a wreath.
• Clam 16th of Incident Over 62 Takes First Prize, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Selma JACL clam derby at Oceana Beach drew about 150 participants. Ken Yamamoto won first prize with a large clam.
• Board Plans Summer Events, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Venice-Culver JACL plans a booth at the Venice Japanese Community Center carnival and a chapter picnic. Membership reached 287, surpassing last year’s total.
• Sonoma County Picnic Set for July 15 at Doran Park, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sonoma County JACL will discuss its annual community picnic at Doran Park on July 15 at its monthly meeting. Scholarship and social reports are also on the agenda.
• San Fernando Chapter to Picnic in Soledad Canyon, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The San Fernando Valley JACL rented a private picnic ground at Bill’s Place in Soledad Canyon for its annual picnic. Swimming, fishing, and picnic facilities will be available.
• Sequoia JACL Bridge Club Organizes Junior Section, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Sequoia JACL Bridge Club organized a junior section meeting Thursday nights at Okamura Hall. A 10-lesson series is being taught by Mrs. May Soules.
• Judges Revealed for SWLA Queentime Ball Coronation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Five judges were named to select Miss Southwest L.A. for the 1959 Nisei Week queen contest. The candidate will be introduced at the chapter’s second annual Queentime Ball on June 13.
• Detroit Bussei, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Detroit JACLer Edward Shiroma and local Bussei hosted a speaking visit from Mrs. Tsuneo Ochi. The local Bussei group reactivated and plans regular meetings.
• Carbon-14 Process Exhibit by Hilo High Student Wins Award, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Stephen Murata, a Hilo High School senior, won an award at the Territorial Science Fair for a project on the Carbon-14 dating process. The project used a Geiger counter to measure radioactivity in prehistoric materials.
• Sato Wins Honors at DU Law School, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Wilbur I. Sato of Los Angeles won several honors at the University of Denver Law School, including American Jurisprudence Awards in Constitutional Law and Labor Law. He was graduating that month.
• Kadomoto’s Assistant Be My Fair Lady, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Ethel A. Service, assistant to Tom Kadomoto in Glendale, Arizona, was among 15 finalists in a statewide My Fair Lady contest sponsored by the International Institute.

National

• Control of Seabrook Farms Transferred, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seabrook Farms, a major New Jersey frozen foods company that employed many WWII evacuees, was acquired by Seeman Bros. of New York for $33,000,000. Several hundred Nisei remain in the area, and a number hold important operational positions.
• Toronto Editorial Asks Canadian Government to Apologize for Japanese Evacuation, by Mark Gayn, page 1. A Toronto Daily Star editorial urges Canada to formally apologize for its wartime evacuation and dispossession of Japanese Canadians, following the US government’s recent apology. The editorial notes that restrictions on Japanese Canadians persist and that no formal regret has ever been expressed by Canada.
• 2,600 U.S. Issei Naturalized in 1958 Fiscal Year, by JACL News Service, page 1. According to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 2,623 resident aliens from Japan became naturalized citizens in the fiscal year ending June 1958. The JACL Washington Office notes that most of these individuals were admitted before the 1952 law removed racial barriers to naturalization.
• Miyamura Appointed to Gallup Planning Commission, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hiroshi Miyamura, the only living Nisei Medal of Honor recipient, was appointed to the Gallup, New Mexico City Planning Commission. The new board convened the previous week.
• Housing Bias Strong Against Japanese in British Columbia, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Rev. Tadashi Mitsu of Vancouver’s Japanese United Church reported that housing discrimination against Japanese persists in British Columbia. He described difficulty finding housing for young Japanese couples moving to the city.
• Congressional Record, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Washington representative Mike Masaoka reviews the status of major legislation as Congress recessed for Memorial Day. He notes that only four of 33 major bills had passed while Democratic leaders struggled with their majorities.

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