Civil rights in the Senate and the San Jose convention ahead

Vol. 66, No. 11, March 15, 1968. 6 pages. View this issue

Civil rights ran through this six-page issue. National President Jerry Enomoto opened the front page with a column on the Senate’s long struggle to invoke cloture on a civil rights bill, and Roger Nikaido reported on page 2 that the Senate voted 65 to 32 on March 4 to move ahead, with the House outlook still uncertain. Enomoto also wrote about the National Convention in San Jose and about a proposed civil rights program for Northern California-Western Nevada chapters. On page 4, Alan Kumamoto wrote about the bill and JACL members’ differing views.

Elsewhere, the front page reported on a Denver bid to host the 1970 JACL bowling tournament, the Seattle tournament results, and chapter installations in Milwaukee and New York. Youth voices appeared on pages 4 and 5, including Jeffrey Matsui, Susan Baba and Nancy Yamashita, and page 6 carried William Hohri on Vietnam and Bob Endo’s appeal to keep the Pocatello-Blackfoot chapter alive.

What’s in this issue

National

• Progress?, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto comments on the U.S. Senate’s struggle to invoke cloture on a civil rights bill, noting the narrowing margins of defeat. He credits Senator Thomas Kuchel for consistent support and urges JACL chapters to keep pressing for housing and civil rights legislation.
• Civil Rights Bill Clears Senate, by Roger Nikaido, page 2. The Senate voted 65 to 32 on March 4 to invoke cloture on the civil rights bill, allowing debate to proceed. Nikaido details the Dirksen compromise open housing provisions and subsequent amendments, and assesses uncertain House prospects.

JACL

• National Convention, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto discusses the need for timely information flow from National Headquarters and chapters so the National Council can make informed decisions at the San Jose convention. He stresses that early deliberation at all organizational levels improves the quality of decisions.
• Emphasis, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto agrees with Jeffrey Matsui that program enrichment is what JACL chapters need most. He encourages chapters to request staff assistance from Headquarters to revitalize their programs.
• Civil Rights program for NC-WN chapters being proposed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Civil rights chairman James Ono called a March 24 planning session in San Francisco to develop civil rights programs for Northern California-Western Nevada chapters. Twelve invitees, including Jr. JACL members, were selected to form the planning nucleus.

Community

• Too Late?, by Jerry Enomoto, page 1. Enomoto invites Northern California-Western Nevada District members who have criticized JACL’s apathy to contribute ideas to the district Civil Rights Committee. He argues that it is not too late for the organization to act on civil and human rights.
• Milwaukee installs H. Date president, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Henry Tanaka installed the 1968 Milwaukee JACL and Jr. JACL officers at a January 20 ceremony. Speakers included County Supervisor R. C. Nowakowski, and the chapter honored Satoshi Nakahira with the JACL Silver Pin.
• New York JACLers Told Heroism Aided in U.S.-Japan Amity, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ambassador Senjin Tsuruoka, Japan’s UN Permanent Representative, spoke at the New York JACL installation dinner about Japan’s role in world affairs. He paid tribute to Japanese Americans for their wartime and postwar conduct, which he credited with strengthening Japan-U.S. relations.
• Dayton JACL ‘Operation Pink Petal’ helps city win cleanest town trophy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dayton was awarded the Trigg Trophy for its beautification efforts, which included a Dayton JACL project planting 150 cherry trees on Eastwood Park islands. The chapter’s Operation Pink Petal was recognized as part of the city’s winning entry.
• Footello Teens install officers, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Ronnie Yokota, IDC governor, installed the 1968 officers of the Footello Teens, the Jr. JACL of the Pocatello-Blackfoot JACL, on January 14. Charlie Morimoto was named the new president.
• Civic National Bank negotiates merger, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Civic National Bank of Marina Del Rey and Gateway National Bank of El Segundo announced a merger agreement. The combined institution will operate a seven-branch facility, pending shareholder and regulatory approval.
• On Keeping a Chapter Alive, by Bob Endo, page 6. Pocatello-Blackfoot JACL president Bob Endo writes a candid appeal for membership, warning that the chapter may disband if members do not participate. He describes judo classes, carnival preparations, and the need for a youth advisor.

Sports

• Denver to host 1970 JACL bowling tournament; five rules clarified, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Advisory Board on Bowling accepted Denver’s bid to host the 1970 National JACL Bowling Tournament at Celebrity Sports Center. Five tournament rules were also clarified and revised, including entry fees and tie procedures.
• Hal Kim, Lois Yut to win All Events at National JACL Bowling Tournament, by Masao Satow, page 1. Hal Kim of Honolulu and Lois Yut of San Francisco won the men’s and women’s All Events titles at the 22nd National JACL Bowling Tournament in Seattle. Participants called it one of the best tournaments ever due to Seattle’s hospitality.

Military & Veterans

• Japanese Consulate moving to Li’l Tokio, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Japanese Consulate General in Los Angeles relocated from W. 6th Street to the Kajima Building on E. 1st Street. The visa section moved to the 14th floor while the consul general’s offices occupy the 15th.

Commentary

• Manhattan Echoes: Art of Conversation, by Joe Oyama, page 2. Oyama describes a New York party where non-Nisei guests struggled to initiate conversation with Nisei attendees. He also recounts a Japanese film about a New York Nisei traveling to Japan and a farewell at the party.
• Judo, by Yosh Hotta, page 4. Hotta offers a humorous column on Japanese stereotypes, recounting a friend who evaded a drunk with a pistol through an apparent judo move. He jokes about the popular image of Japanese as karate and judo experts.
• Civil Rights Bill and JACL: Accent on Youth, by Alan Kumamoto, page 4. Kumamoto argues that JACL members hold diverse views and that the organization should not seek monolithic opinion. He urges Jr. JACL members to discuss issues openly while avoiding narrow or defensive thinking.
• A View Revisited, by Alan Kumamoto, page 4. Kumamoto revisits an exchange of memos between National Jr. JACL Youth Council Chairman Russ Obana and President Jerry Enomoto about Jr. JACL’s purpose and structure. He calls for concrete, practical programs and clearer definition of youth program responsibilities.
• Green Power, by Jeffrey Matsui, page 4. Matsui describes the Green Power Foundation in Los Angeles, a nonprofit that trains minority workers and develops wood products businesses. He encourages Nisei to donate to the foundation as a way to repay the help received by evacuees after WWII.
• Tomodachi system may improve method to recruit youth into Jr. JACL, by Susan Baba, page 5. Baba, Eastern District Youth Council chairman, describes recruiting challenges for Jr. JACL on the East Coast where Sansei are geographically dispersed. She proposes a modified tomodachi or sister-mom buddy system to integrate newcomers and improve officer transitions.
• Role of JACL in Today’s Society, by Nancy Yamashita, page 5. Yamashita, Intermountain Jr. JACL queen candidate, argues that JACL must address new problems while keeping its basic objectives. She emphasizes that members should take personal stands on political issues while JACL focuses on how to build harmony.
• Why Not Negotiate?, by William Hohri, page 6. Hohri argues that the United States should pursue negotiations to end the Vietnam War rather than escalate. He cites Reischauer and Solomon to argue that continued escalation is futile and that negotiation does not imply surrender.
• Information Please, by Frances Matsuda, page 6. Matsuda, a student writing a history term paper on the 1942 evacuation, asks for sources on the relocation. The editor suggests books and PC special issues as resources.

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