Vol. 57, No. 4, July 26, 1963. 4 pages. View this issue
Civil rights ran through this four-page issue. The JACL Civil Rights Statement, written at Omaha, endorsed intensified participation by Negro Americans in efforts for civil equality and pledged support for the March on Washington. Mike Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter explained how the policy would be carried out through JACL districts and chapters. In Seattle, Phil Hayasaka was named executive director of a new Municipal Human Rights Commission, and the appointment drew objections from Negro community leaders. Immigration was the other major subject: President Kennedy proposed ending national origins quotas, and Sen. Daniel Inouye called immigration reform as important as civil rights.
Bill Hosokawa’s “From the Frying Pan” praised a Colorado order against discrimination by state contractors, and Allan Beekman compared Japan’s treatment of the Burakumin with the plight of American Negroes. Rep. Spark Matsunaga was announced as a speaker at the Cleveland convention. Local news included Nisei Week queen candidates, a credit union dividend and a Pocatello rodeo queen.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Hayasaka Named Seattle’s Human Rights Director, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle Mayor Clinton appointed Phil Hayasaka, a former JACL chapter president, as executive director of a new 12-member Municipal Human Rights Commission. The appointment drew objections from Negro community leaders who wanted a Negro in the post and more Negro commissioners.
- Six Nisei Week Queen Candidates Introduced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six candidates for the 1963 Nisei Week queen were introduced to officials and press at the Japanese Consul General’s residence in Los Angeles. The candidates represented several JACL chapters and Nisei organizations.
- Kennedy’s Interest Equalization Tax on Foreign Stocks Affects Li’l Tokio Firms, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six Li’l Tokio investment firms dealing in Japanese stocks and bonds were affected by President Kennedy’s proposed 15 percent tax on foreign securities purchases. Japanese stocks fell sharply following the announcement.
- Credit Union Declares 5 Pct. Dividend, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National JACL Credit Union declared a 5 percent annual dividend for the first half of 1963 and reported total assets over $660,000. Death benefits were paid to two members during the period.
- Gene Kono Presented JACL Silver Pin by San Fernando Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Gene Kono, San Fernando chapter president and community leader, received the JACL silver pin at a farewell dinner. He was recognized for his one-year service to the chapter and community before relocating to Palo Alto.
- Watsonville Sets All-Time Membership Sign-Up Goal, by Isaac Matsushige, page 4. The Watsonville JACL reported its membership reached 411 and several chapters in the Pacific Southwest District hit new all-time highs. Chapter members discussed how Nisei should respond to public pressure to support civil rights.
- Pocatello Kathy Sato Reigns as Frontier Rodeo Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Kathy Sato, 17, of Pocatello JACL, was crowned queen of the 1963 Frontier Rodeo as part of the Idaho Territorial Centennial. Her first attendant, Andrea Neider, is also a Pocatello-Blackfoot Jr. JACL member.
JACL
- Rep. Matsunaga to Address EDC-MDC Confab at Cleveland, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congressman Spark Matsunaga will speak at the joint EDC-MDC biennial convention in Cleveland, Aug. 30-Sept. 2. The convention theme focuses on civil rights and the future of the Nisei and JACL.
National
- President Proposes Modernization of Immigration Laws, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Kennedy proposed eliminating national origins quotas over five years and adopting a priority system favoring skilled immigrants and those with US relatives. He called the existing quota system without basis in logic or reason.
- Immigration Reform as Important as Civil Rights: Inouye, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sen. Daniel Inouye told the Senate judiciary committee that immigration reform is as important as civil rights. He backed raising quota visas and pooling unused numbers to benefit the Asia-Pacific region.
- Washington Newsletter: Civil Rights, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Mike Masaoka reports on the Omaha Civil Rights Committee’s policy statement and its implementation through JACL districts and chapters. He explains JACL’s rationale for supporting broader civil rights legislation and the Civil Rights Fund.
Incarceration & Redress
- JACL Endorses Intensified Actions of Negro Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL Civil Rights Statement, issued at Omaha, endorses intensified participation in civil equality efforts by Negro Americans. It pledges support for the National Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the March on Washington.
Military & Veterans
- Military Honored at Sequoia Jr. JACL Events, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Coverage of local JACL activity and community programs continued on this page. Details are limited in the OCR text.
Commentary
- From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Bill Hosokawa reflects on his admiration for older performers who still excel, citing a revival of South Pacific and sports figures. He also praises Colorado Governor John Love’s executive order banning racial and religious discrimination by state contractors.
- Japan’s Pariah Problem Quite Similar to Negroes of South, by Allan Beekman, page 3. Allan Beekman compares Japan’s treatment of the Burakumin outcaste group with the plight of American Negroes. He draws on Lafcadio Hearn’s writings and the novel Hakai to explain the persistence of caste discrimination after legal emancipation.
Obituaries
- Ex-Admiral of Twin Cities Dies, Led Japanese Fleet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former Japanese Fleet Admiral Keoru Umetani, who commanded aircraft carrier fleets in World War II, died in Minneapolis July 18. He had moved to the United States in 1959 to help run a sukiyaki restaurant with his daughter’s family.
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