Civil rights debate inside JACL, and a Detroit convention queen

Vol. 57, No. 12, September 20, 1963. 4 pages. View this issue

Civil rights was the question on the front page of this four-page issue. The Central California District Council issued its statement on civil rights and objected to the JACL’s $2,000 donation to the National Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, arguing it was committed without proper National Board approval. Roy Cuno of the Orange County JACL wrote to clarify what his chapter’s board had and had not voted on. Columns by Isaac Matsushige and Saburo Kido looked at the Birmingham church bombing and at African American history, and Mike Masaoka wrote about immigration legislation from Senators Fong and Inouye and Representative Matsunaga.

Also inside: twelve Detroit candidates for 1964 Miss National JACL, ahead of the July 1964 national convention there. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Pat Suzuki’s visit and about a glut of Northwest mushrooms. Page 1 carried Li’l Tokyo redevelopment plans and the new Nihonmachi Community Development Corp. in San Francisco.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• CCDC Issues Its Statement on Civil Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Central California District Council set forth its views on civil rights and objected to the JACL’s $2,000 donation to the National Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. The council argued the donation was committed without proper National Board approval, contrary to the JACL Constitution.

Community

• ’64 JACL Convention Pace in Detroit to Gain Momentum with Naming of Queen, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Twelve Detroit candidates are competing for the title of 1964 Miss National JACL, who will be crowned at the Detroit JACL coronation ball on Oct. 12. The queen will serve as official hostess of the July 1964 National JACL Convention in Detroit.
• California-born Nisei Finds New Challenge in Texas in ‘Y’ Work, by By Mary Brinkerhoff, page 1. Dorothy Takechi Tada has been hired by the Dallas County YWCA as assistant executive for program coordination. Her career reflects a long commitment to bridging human divides, including her wartime work in relocation centers.
• Sanger Pioneer Issei Honored, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Yasolebi Kanagawa and his wife were named Sanger’s Mr. and Mrs. Farmer of 1963. The Issei pioneer has long contributed to local agriculture, civic groups, and Japan-US goodwill.
• Parking Problem May Be Met in Li’l Tokyo Redevelopment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles redevelopment rules require parking accommodations, and the Li’l Tokyo Redevelopment Association proposed converting a building into a parking facility. The plan is part of a broader Kajima redevelopment concept for Li’l Tokyo.
• San Francisco Nihonmachi Development Co. Formed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Committee for the Japanese Community is organizing a new Nihonmachi Community Development Corp. to develop a four-block area in San Francisco. Articles of incorporation were being prepared by legal counsel Sho Sato.
• Statewide Association for Gakuen Organized, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Representatives of Japanese language schools in California agreed to form a statewide association to support AB 1800, which allows public school credit for foreign languages learned in private schools. The decision was made at a Labor Day conference in Los Angeles.
• ELA’s Issei Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. About 300 Issei attended the East Los Angeles JACL Issei appreciation night at Tenrikyo Hall. The eldest Issei were honored with gifts during a program featuring Japanese entertainment.
• Efforts to Place Calif. Housing Law on Referendum Failing, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Opponents of the Rumford fair housing law fell short of the signatures needed to force a November 1964 referendum. Officials had certified far fewer valid signatures than required by the Thursday deadline.
• Measuring the Earth, by Bill Hosokawa, page 3. Toshio Hoshide of the Army Map Service presented a paper at the Association of American Geographers meeting in Denver on long-distance measurements of the earth. He reported findings that the earth is slightly pear-shaped and the equator slightly elliptical.
• Chicago Enacts Fair Housing Ordinance, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Chicago City Council voted 30-16 to enact a fair housing ordinance prohibiting broker discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, or ancestry. Critics said it did not go far enough, and real estate interests threatened court action.
• Making Life on Wheelchair Easier, Aim of Organization, Says Nisei Paraplegic, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three Fresno quadriplegics, including Tad Tanaka, organized a local chapter of the National Paraplegia Assn. to provide companionship and support. The group seeks to address the loneliness and practical challenges faced by people with spinal cord injuries.
• JAL to Occupy New Terminal at San Francisco International Airport, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A new $14 million terminal for Japan Air Lines at San Francisco International Airport was dedicated. The airline leased space in the new building, which was expected to be occupied by October 1.
• Cleveland JACL Promoting Big Chapter Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Detroit JACL members attended a booster event in Cleveland during Labor Day weekend and the Eastern and Midwest District JACL joint convention planning progressed. Committee leaders outlined arrangements for the upcoming Nov. 29-30 gathering hosted by Cleveland JACL.
• Oakland JACL Blood Bank Empty, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Oakland JACL Blood Bank was depleted, with its last pint recently donated to a Nisei family. Members were urged to replenish the supply.
• Cleveland JACL Celebrates Fifteenth Year, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Cleveland JACL highlighted its chapter history with a fund-raising sukiyaki dinner open to the broader community. Organizers credited many volunteers for the successful event.

Military & Veterans

• Buddhist Chaplains Asked for U.S. Armed Forces, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Hawaii Federation of Young Buddhist Assns. and Hawaii Buddhist Council asked Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to include Buddhist chaplains in all branches of the armed forces. They noted many persons of the Buddhist faith are serving.
• Utah Nisei Clinches Third Denver Baseball Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Utah Nisei won their third consecutive Denver Nisei baseball tournament title over Labor Day weekend with an 18-2 victory over Greeley. Max Hirai was named outstanding pitcher for the third time.

National

• Truman’s Mixed Marriage Stand Draws Hawaii Reaction, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Hawaii leaders, including intermarried citizens, responded critically to former President Truman’s statement that racial intermarriage conflicts with the Bible. Critics said his views ignore the reality of existing interracial marriages.
• Demonstrations Mark House Hearing on Student Jaunt into Castro’s Cuba, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The House Un-American Activities Committee concluded hearings on a trip by 59 American students to Cuba, marked by demonstrations and removal of protesters. Among those questioned was Wendie Suzako Nakashima, who invoked the First and Fifth Amendments.

Commentary

• Love That Forgives, by Isaac Matsushige, page 2. Matsushige reflects on the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham and the unfinished Sunday School lesson of love that forgives. He urges Japanese Americans to embrace forgiveness and understanding.
• Immigration Legislation, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka praises congressional efforts to equalize immigration opportunities regardless of national origin and examines bills introduced by Senators Fong and Inouye and Representative Matsunaga. He argues the United States should complete its move toward a fair, nondiscriminatory immigration law.
• Dramatic Events in Negro History, by Saburo Kido, page 2. Kido surveys landmark events in African American history, from early colonial contributions to the civil rights era. He draws parallels to the Japanese American experience of discrimination and resilience.
• Pat Suzuki Was Back in Town, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. A columnist recounts the Seattle-area reunion and farewell gathering held after singer Pat Suzuki’s final Los Angeles performance. The piece describes the dinners, friends, and nostalgic atmosphere surrounding her visit.
• Civil Rights – Orange County JACL, by Roy Cuno, page 2. The Orange County JACL editor clarifies that the chapter board did not vote on civil rights demonstrations as reported in a previous article. He explains the board only discussed and ratified the national policy statement.
• Men and Mushrooms, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa comments on a glut of wild mushrooms in the Northwest that led to commercial harvesting and falling prices. He laments how greed transformed a pleasant pastime into a crass business.

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