Memorials for Henry Kasai and a plan for a national youth group

Vol. 62, No. 10, March 11, 1966. 4 pages. View this issue

Friends in Salt Lake City were still honoring Henry Kasai, the 1964 Nisei of the Biennium, weeks after his death. Rupert Hachiya wrote on the front page about the memorials, which included gifts to a children’s hospital, a church film library and a Boys Ranch. Cheryl Endo wrote that Junior JACL was moving toward a national youth organization, with a proposal due at the San Diego convention. The front page also carried rules for the JACL oratorical and essay contests on the theme Youth and His Identity.

The four pages also report that the Virginia Supreme Court upheld its ban on mixed marriage, and that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld major provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Mike Masaoka wrote about Hawaii’s reapportionment case, Bill Hosokawa about his daughter Christie’s first job, and Stanford M. Lyman answered a Pacific Citizen editorial. Orange County Nisei planned an April 2 dinner for Justice Stephen Tamura.

What’s in this issue

Obituaries

• Henry Kasai Memorials Abound, by Rupert Hachiya, page 1. Friends and community members in Salt Lake City have established memorials in honor of Henry Kasai, the 1964 Nisei of the Biennium, after his death. Tributes include donations to hospitals, camps, civil rights programs, and a memorial award, with Senator Wallace Bennett praising his service to bridge-building between Japanese and American communities.

JACL

• Time for Re-Evaluation, by Cheryl Endo, page 1. Junior JACL is moving toward forming a national youth organization, with a proposal to be presented at the San Diego convention. The article urges chapters and districts to reassess their purposes and goals as the national structure takes shape.
• JACL Oratorical-Essay Contest Rules Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Regional finalists for the National JACL oratorical contest must be selected by June 1, with prizes and eligibility rules outlined for the San Diego convention. The essay contest shares the same theme, Youth and His Identity, with separate deadlines and prizes.
• By the Board: Chapter of Biennium, by Rupert Hachiya, page 2. National JACL is considering a Chapter of the Biennium award and has received suggestions from Frank Oda and Mas Yokogawa on how to judge small and large chapters fairly. The board invites further input before the July National Council session.

National

• Virginia Supreme Court Upholds Its Ban Against Mixed Marriage, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Virginia’s Supreme Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the state’s anti-miscegenation law, which bars marriages between whites and Negroes as well as Japanese-Caucasian couples. The case involved the Lovings, whose sentences were struck down as unreasonable and remanded for resentencing.
• JACL Watching Voting Rights Law Endorsed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the major provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, including federal oversight of voter qualification changes in affected states. JACL has been following this and related cases closely.

Community

• VOA Visits UCLA Campus, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Voice of America crew filmed commentaries at UCLA on the changed status of Japanese Americans before and after World War II. Joe Grant Masaoka and Professor Robert A. Wilson of the JACL-UCLA History Project described prewar discrimination and postwar gains in education.
• Curt Moody Recounts Watts Experience at PSWDC Session, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At the first PSWDC quarterly session in San Fernando Valley, Curt Moody of the Community Relations Conference of Southern California described his experiences during the Watts riot and acknowledged a $500 National JACL contribution. Business included civil rights discussion and the appointment of new Nisei Relays co-chairmen.
• Orange County Nisei Plan April 2 Testimonial for Justice Tamura, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Orange County Nisei community will honor Justice Stephen Tamura at a testimonial dinner in Anaheim on April 2. Tamura, recently appointed to the Court of Appeals and named presiding judge of Orange County Superior Court, has a long record of public service.
• Nisei Farmers Cynical of Industry Boom, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nisei farmers in the Green River Valley of the Kent-Auburn area face steep property assessments and sewer costs driven by industrial development, including Boeing expansion. Some are being forced to sell their land.
• Our Pat’s Back in Town, by Elmer Ogawa, page 3. Pat Suzuki returned to Seattle to perform at the Edgewater Inn, and Ogawa describes the warm reception from longtime supporters at the Colony Club. He also recounts her appearance at a Cathay Post American Legion banquet.
• Ole ’66: Youth Convention on the Go-Go, by Connie Yamaguchi, page 3. Connie Yamaguchi, the new Jr. JACL convention publicity chairman, previews the San Diego youth convention schedule and package deal. She invites questions and promises more details on lodging and a new code of ethics in the next issue.
• Orange County Nisei Plan April 2 Testimonial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Orange County Nisei will stage a testimonial dinner for Justice Stephen Tamura. Tamura has been appointed to the Court of Appeals and named presiding judge of Orange County Superior Court.
• Youth Dance Draws 1,000, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Evy Hasegawa was crowned as Westside JACL’s Nisei Relays candidate at a teen dance attended by 1,000 youths at Rodger Young Auditorium. Three bands performed at the event sponsored by the Chanels.

Commentary

• Too Americanized, by Stanford M. Lyman, page 2. Sociologist Stanford Lyman responds to a Pacific Citizen editorial and clarifies that his Contra Costa JACL lecture never claimed Japanese Americans were becoming too Americanized. He argues that cultural change across generations is uneven and that the third generation may be unable to recover the heritage it wishes to remember.
• Hawaii’s Reapportionment Case, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka examines Hawaii’s legislative reapportionment case before the Supreme Court, in which Japanese American attorneys including Bertram Kanbara participated. He urges that a Japanese American be appointed to the federal judiciary and names several qualified jurists.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa reflects on his youngest daughter Christie getting her first job and Social Security number, marking a family milestone. He also argues that Japanese Americans overcame discrimination in ways that offer lessons for helping culturally deprived groups today.

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