1966: Nisei Ambassadors, civil rights in the Senate, and the Larry Tajiri awards

Vol. 63, No. 12, September 16, 1966. 6 pages. View this issue

A drum and bugle corps from Chicago took the lead in this six-page issue. Dr. Frank Sakamoto wrote about the Chicago Nisei Drum & Bugle Corps and its goodwill tour of East Coast cities, and a second story told how young members of the Nisei Ambassadors Junior Drum and Bugle Corps learned about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team at a memorial service at Arlington Cemetery. Mike Masaoka’s column followed the stalled Civil Rights Act of 1966 in the Senate, and a Denver dinner was announced for the second annual Larry Tajiri Memorial Foundation drama awards.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about a new kind of Japanese visitor to the United States, and Saburo Kido, Bill Marutani, Alan Kumamoto and Hiroshi Kashiwagi each contributed columns. Ted Horikawa’s essay on youth and identity won third prize in the Philadelphia JACL contest. News items covered Hawaii’s election filings, a reunion of Military Intelligence Service veterans, and a $100 Seabrook JACL scholarship.

What’s in this issue

Community

• ‘Larry’ awards go on tap Sept. 19, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The second annual awards dinner of the Larry Tajiri Memorial Foundation will be held in Denver on September 19 to present five drama awards. The Foundation honors the late Larry Tajiri, former wartime editor of the Pacific Citizen and drama editor of The Denver Post.
• Hawaii Nisei faces sentence of life term, page 1. A Honolulu jury found Richard T. Yoshino and Pontiano Rapanal guilty of first-degree murder for killing a fellow inmate at State Prison. Defense attorneys plan to seek a new trial.
• George Sugimura Seabrook JACL scholarship award winner announced, page 1. George Sugimura of Seabrook was named recipient of the 1966 Seabrook JACL Scholarship Award worth $100. He will enter the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
• Reverend’s daughter gives talk on Watts, page 1. Joanne Aki, daughter of Rev. George Aki of the Hollywood Independent Church, spoke about her volunteer work in Watts at a church service. She then planned to train for the Vista program at Columbia University.

Military & Veterans

• Three Jr. JACLers attend annual meeting on citizenship in Washington, page 1. Three Junior JACL members joined Alice Endo as JACL representatives at the 21st annual National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. The conference theme was ‘Supports of Freedom—The Law and The Ballot.’
• Gen. Willoughby to address MIS veteran reunion, page 1. Maj. Gen. Charles A. Willoughby will be keynote speaker at the 25th anniversary reunion of the Military Intelligence Service Language School in San Francisco on November 12. Willoughby was MacArthur’s chief of staff for intelligence.
• Chicago Nisei Drum & Bugle Corps Ambassadors create goodwill on four-city tour, by Dr. Frank Sakamoto, page 1. The Chicago Nisei Drum and Bugle Corps toured East Coast cities to compete in national competitions and built goodwill along the way. The corps performed in Newark, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., receiving strong public and media response.
• Offspring of 442 reminded of heritage, page 1. Members of the Nisei Ambassadors Junior Drum and Bugle Corps learned about the sacrifices of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team at a memorial service at Arlington Cemetery. Congressman Sidney Yates and Mike Masaoka addressed the group.

JACL

• CCDC Convention Dates announced, page 1. The Central California District Council convention will be held December 3 and 4 at the Hacienda Motel in Fresno. Committee assignments and chairmen were announced at the CCDC meeting in Selma.

Incarceration & Redress

• Issei, Nisei Image in Japan Valuable, Says Professor, page 1. UCLA Professor Gene N. Levine, principal investigator for the Japanese American Research Project, is studying how Japanese public opinion views the Issei and Nisei. The project has purchased public opinion polls and may survey the Japanese public if funds permit.

National

• 78 Hawaii Nisei file for election, page 1. Seventy-eight Japanese Americans filed candidacies for offices in Hawaii by the filing deadline. Representatives Spark Matsunaga and Patsy Mink lead the list of Democratic candidates for U.S. House seats.

Commentary

• Civil Rights Balk, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Persistent Senate absenteeism during the first week of debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1966 prevented the quorums needed to bring the bill up for consideration. Proponents must round up at least 51 senators to keep civil rights legislation alive this session.
• A New Breed, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Hosokawa observes that a new generation of Japanese visitors, such as Japan Times editorial writer Junichiro Suzuki, speaks English fluently and engages Americans more openly than earlier visitors. He notes that Japan now views the U.S. as both an industrial rival and a potential friend.
• Happiness Is, by Alan Kumamoto, page 4. Kumamoto describes Hollywood Jr. JACL’s program at the Children’s Rehabilitation Center and notes planned inter-ethnic youth workshops. He also previews upcoming youth conferences and encourages Juniors to consider federal civil service positions.
• Essay: Youth and His Identity, by Ted Horikawa, page 5. Philadelphia JACL essay contest third-prize winner Ted Horikawa reflects on how Sansei differ regionally and on his own identity as an American rather than a hyphenated Japanese American. He argues that JACL should extend its efforts to protect and benefit all Americans.
• East Wind: ‘Charlie’, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani recounts a visit from a young Jehovah’s Witness named Charlie Robinson and reflects on the devotion of such missionaries. He admits the encounter challenged his own assumptions about respectable religious practice.
• Timely Topics, by Saburo Kido, page 6. Kido discusses his plans to complete the history of JACL and reflects on the hotei good luck charm collected by JACL staff and members. He also notes that a larger million-dollar endowment fund could have been raised if written pledges had been obtained from Evacuation claim recipients.

Arts & Entertainment

• Are You ‘Cool’?, by Hiroshi Kashiwagi, page 6. Kashiwagi responds to sociologist Stanford Lyman’s description of the ‘cool’ Nisei personality, questioning whether he fits the stereotype. He argues that Nisei are more complex than the ‘cool’ label suggests.

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