Vol. 57, No. 1, July 5, 1963. 4 pages. View this issue
Civil rights ran through this four-page issue from the first column. Mike Masaoka reported on the Kennedy administration’s civil rights package as it moved through House and Senate committees, including a leadership compromise in the Senate. Elmer Ogawa covered a march and City Hall meeting in Seattle, where Negro community leaders demanded action on jobs and housing. Mountain-Plains JACL joined a civil rights march in Denver, and a Chinese American group in Northern California appealed for funds to aid the NAACP.
Other stories turned to Little Tokyo, where property owners formed a committee to advise city planners on redevelopment, in a report by Larry Tajiri and an editorial on the district’s future. Frank Watanabe described Detroit’s preparations for the 18th Biennial National Convention. Also inside: five Japanese American professors promoted to tenure at the University of California, and a Hawaiian Nisei radio amateur honored by the Navy.
What’s in this issue
Commentary
- Washington Newsletter: Administration’s Civil Rights Bill, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Masaoka reports on the Kennedy administration’s sweeping civil rights package moving through House and Senate committees, including the leadership compromise in the Senate. He notes the Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Eastland may be bypassed to advance the measure.
- Future and Li’l Tokio, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An editorial argues Li’l Tokio has been slow to respond to civic rehabilitation needs compared with City Hall’s pace. It calls on the community to act decisively before the opportunity passes.
- Planning Actually Started Back in ’58, by Frank Watanabe, page 4. Convention Board chairman Frank Watanabe outlines the Detroit host chapter’s preparations for the 18th Biennial National Convention, including the new board structure. He invites delegates to attend and reflects on Japanese American integration into the wider community.
National
- Five U.C. Professors Attain Tenure Promotion, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Five Japanese American faculty at various University of California campuses were among those promoted to tenure rank for 1963-64. It is believed to be the first time so many Japanese names appeared on such a list.
- Negroes Demonstrate in Seattle, Demand Equal Opportunities Now at City Hall, by Elmer Ogawa, page 1. Seattle’s Negro community staged a march and a City Hall meeting demanding immediate action on job and housing equality. Community leaders rejected the mayor’s proposed committee as insufficient.
- Ask Judge Tamura to Disqualify Self in Race Bias Suit, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Attorney Richard Jackson requested that Nisei Judge Stephen Tamura disqualify himself in a racial discrimination suit brought by a Negro couple against apartment landlords. Tamura disqualified himself, and the matter was transferred to Judge William Speirs.
Community
- Mountain-Plains JACL Joins Equal Rights Fight in Denver, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mountain-Plains JACL joined a Denver civil rights march and city hall meeting, with district chairman Mas Yasui urging equal opportunity for all citizens. The chapter also pressed for revisions to Colorado liquor and cemetery discrimination laws.
- Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission Constantly Asked How It Functions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, established from a 1944 interracial committee, now serves as an advisory county agency with 25 citizen members. Its executive director John Buggs and chairman Frank Chuman describe its work helping communities resolve intergroup tensions.
- Nisei-Ham Operator Thought to Be Traitor During WW2 Served Undercover for Navy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaiian Nisei radio amateur David Kiyo Enomoto is receiving a Navy honorary communicator certificate for secretly serving the Marines at Puunene air station after Pearl Harbor. Despite suspicion, he remained the station’s only radio link to the outside world for 15 months.
- Negro Demonstrations and Japanese Americans in Seattle Community Context, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Coverage of local civil rights developments continues with discussion of minority equality efforts. The piece reflects on how such movements relate to Japanese American communities.
- Chinese Group Appeals for Funds to Aid NAACP, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chinese American Democratic Club of Northern California appealed for funds to support the NAACP, citing shared discrimination experiences. Harry Low argued that Chinese American gains were largely won through Negro leadership.
- Li’l Tokio Organizes to Assist City Planners on Redevelopment, by Larry Tajiri, page 3. Li’l Tokio property owners formed a committee to advise city planners on redevelopment after widening of First and Second Streets threatened local businesses. Financier Tauyuki Watanabe argued private capital is needed to save the district.
Incarceration & Redress
- Twin Cities Reminded of Bias, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Minneapolis-St. Paul suburban Japanese American youth and families describe experiences of discrimination and name-calling. Father Andrew Otani and the Tsuchiya family discuss integration and cultural balance.
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