Chicago’s early membership drive and civil rights news in 1961

Vol. 53, No. 12, September 29, 1961. 4 pages. View this issue

Chicago JACL’s plan to start its 1962 membership drive early led this four-page issue. Chicago was the first postwar chapter to pass 1,000 members, and Mark Yoshizumi explained why the drive moved from spring to fall. Also on the front page were a talk on the United Nations by Utah Supreme Court Justice J. Alan Crockett, a tribute from JACL President Frank Chuman to Chief Judge Louis E. Goodman, and Mike Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter on President Kennedy’s UN address.

Civil rights stories ran throughout: Illinois became the 21st state with a strong fair employment law, the ICC banned segregation in interstate bus travel, and James Benton Parsons was sworn in as a federal district judge in Chicago. Larry Tajiri wrote on the myths about Japanese American sabotage after Pearl Harbor. A memorial service was planned for the Rohwer cemetery in Arkansas, and page 4 reprinted a report from the 1936 JACL national convention in Seattle.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• Chicago Chapter Plans 1962 Membership Drive Early, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago JACL chapter, the first postwar chapter to pass 1,000 members, is starting an early solicitation campaign for 1962 renewals. A special message explains the reasons for the earlier schedule.
• JACL Mourns Death of Judge Louis E. Goodman, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL President Frank Chuman expressed the organization’s sorrow over the death of Chief Judge Louis E. Goodman of the U.S. Federal District Court in San Francisco. Chuman praised Goodman’s civil rights record and his concern over wartime treatment of persons of Japanese ancestry.
• Chicago to Vote on 1962 Board Officials, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Chicago JACL members will elect ten board members to serve two-year terms beginning January 1962. Nominees for the board of trustees were also announced.
• Chicago Revamps Membership Drive Plan, by Mark Yoshizumi, page 4. The Chicago JACL is moving its annual membership drive from spring to fall, so dues can be paid on time to National and Regional offices. The change also ensures members receive the Pacific Citizen without interruption.

Community

• Justice J. Alan Crockett to Address Salt Lake JACL on the UN, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Utah Supreme Court Justice J. Alan Crockett, chairman of the Utah Association of the United Nations, will speak to the Salt Lake JACL chapter on the UN and its functions. The meeting is held at the Salt Lake Christian Church.
• Group Medical Plan for San Francisco JACLers Under Survey, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco JACL has appointed a committee to study a group medical plan for members, given that other JACL chapters offer group medical insurance. The survey will examine hospitalization and major medical coverage options.
• San Francisco Signs Over 1,100 Members, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco JACL chapter reached more than 1,100 members, according to membership figures reported at the August board meeting. The chapter aims to reach 3,000 members in the coming years.
• Bartender’s Racial Bias Draws Fines Totaling $6,100, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Sacramento jury awarded $6,100 to five Black men who were discriminated against by a bartender who refused them service. The verdict was based on the state’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.
• Seattle Sending 30-Ft. Cedar Totem Pole as Sister City Gesture, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The City of Seattle is sending a 40-foot cedar totem pole carved by Lummi Indian Joseph Hillaire to its sister city Kobe. The pole tells a legend of friendship between the two cities.
• Head of Hair Worth $1,500, Says Judge, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Vancouver Supreme Court judge valued a man’s head of hair at $1,500 in a damages case but awarded no money to the plaintiff, finding the baldness was not proven to result from the accident.
• Issei Story Project Fund Grows With $1,000 Donations, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Three more $1,000 contributions were received for the JACL Issei Story Project, which will record the history of Japanese in America from 1860 to 1960. Donors include Dr. James Taguchi, Dr. Kenji Okura’s family, and others.
• Grammar School Lad Forgets All He Learned in Auto Accident, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A 12-year-old Hamilton, Ontario boy who suffered memory loss after a car accident was awarded $16,000 by a jury. The defendant was found 20 percent at fault.
• American Pacifists Sail for Russian Port, by P.C. Staff, page 2. American pacifist Dr. Earle Reynolds sailed his yacht Phoenix from Hiroshima toward Vladivostok to protest Soviet resumption of nuclear testing. His Soviet visa request had been denied.
• Peggy Sasashima Starts Internship on Government, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Peggy Sasashima, a Coro Foundation scholarship winner from San Francisco State College, began a public affairs internship with city officials. She is active in the San Francisco Jr. JACL.
• Los Angeles-Nagoya Sister City Committee Formalized, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Los Angeles City Council established a permanent goodwill committee for the Nagoya sister city relationship, with three councilmen and civic leaders. The committee will promote exchanges between the two cities.
• Berkeley JACL Board Election and Haste Street Property Vote, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Berkeley JACL membership will vote on a resolution regarding sale of the Haste Street property. The chapter board also plans to fill vacancies.

National

• Illinois Becomes 21st State to Adopt Strong FEP Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Illinois’s new fair employment practices legislation took effect July 1, making it the 21st state with full enforcement powers. The California FEPC Newsletter also noted new FEP laws in Idaho, Kansas, and Missouri.
• New Hampshire Ends Racial Discrimination in Public Places, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A new New Hampshire law prohibits racial and religious discrimination in theaters and other places of public accommodation. The act was adopted at the last legislative session.
• Anti-Bias Rules for Interstate Buses Established by ICC, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Interstate Commerce Commission banned racial segregation in interstate bus seating and terminal facilities. Fines of $100 to $500 apply for violations under the new rules.
• New Lustre on American Democracy as First Negro Federal District Judge Sworn In, by P.C. Staff, page 3. James Benton Parsons became the first Negro federal district judge in the continental United States in a ceremony in Chicago marking Constitution Week. His appointment was praised by civic and legal leaders.

Commentary

• Washington Newsletter: President at the United Nations, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Masaoka reviews President Kennedy’s address to the UN General Assembly on disarmament and the Berlin crisis. He also comments on the first session of Congress and its legislative record.
• Reply to Sansei, by Bob Cullum, page 3. Bob Cullum responds to a Sansei article on the perceived problems of the younger generation. He reflects on changing times and how each generation must forge its own path.
• Yellow Peril and Pearl Harbor, by Larry Tajiri, page 3. Tajiri examines the myths of Japanese American sabotage and espionage spread after Pearl Harbor, which helped justify mass evacuation. He notes that a Japanese consular officer, not a resident, was the spy operating in Hawaii.
• Washington Newsletter Section Omitted, by Henry Mori, page 3. Henry Mori’s Los Angeles Newsletter column comments on Richard Nixon’s uncertain political prospects in California and his ability to defeat Governor Brown. The column suggests Nisei support for Nixon may be tested.

Obituaries

• In Memoriam: Kikumatsu Togasaki, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kikumatsu Togasaki, a pioneer Issei leader, died in Tokyo at age 94. The tribute recalls his advocacy for naturalization rights and his leadership of JACL’s Anti-Discrimination Committee.
• William Koda Respected as Civic Leader in Front-Page Tribute, page 3. The Dos Palos Star paid tribute to William Koda, a respected rice grower and JACL member who died at age 44. His attitude toward community and family was described as his greatest asset.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Cadet Ranks as Most Outstanding, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Cadet Edwin H. Sasaki of Willamette University received the Commandant’s Award as the most outstanding cadet of the first summer training unit at Fairchild AFB. He also received the American Legion Award for drill competition.

Incarceration & Redress

• Memorial Service Planned for WRA Camp Cemetery at Rohwer, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A memorial service will be held at the Rohwer relocation center cemetery in Arkansas to honor 30 Japanese Americans who died there. A road has been constructed and the cemetery cleared for beautification.

In-Depth

• Report of the Fourth National JACL Convention Final General Session, Seattle 1936, page 4. This report covers the final general session of the 1936 JACL national convention in Seattle. Delegates discussed youth involvement, Kibei integration, dual citizenship, and anti-alien land law agitation.

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