Civil rights rulings and the 1952 immigration law’s anniversary

Vol. 38, No. 22, May 28, 1954. 8 pages. View this issue

The Supreme Court’s rulings against segregation in public schools, colleges, theaters and recreation drew wide coverage in this eight-page issue. Mike Masaoka and Larry Tajiri wrote about what the civil rights decisions meant for Japanese Americans. Tajiri recalled the 1906 San Francisco segregation order for Japanese children, and an editorial urged that the ruling be carried into housing. News pages reported a suit over an FHA-aided housing developer and Senator Burnett Maybank’s turnabout on public housing.

The front page also reported that Senator Pat McCarran accepted an invitation to a Washington, D.C., banquet marking the second anniversary of the 1952 immigration law. Elsewhere, Memorial Day services for Nisei soldiers, Bill Hosokawa’s columns on the word skibby, and plans for the Labor Day JACL convention in Los Angeles, along with its Endowment Fund total, filled the pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Sen. McCarran Accepts Invitation to JACL Banquet in D.C., by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator Pat McCarran, co-author of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, accepted the Washington JACL invitation to attend the second anniversary banquet of that law on June 27. Two members of his staff also accepted invitations to the event.
• Little Change Seen as Swing Confirmed I&NS Commissioner, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lt. Gen. Joseph M. Swing was unanimously confirmed by the Senate as Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. Observers expect little change in immigration policy, and Swing’s background suggests sympathy for Japanese American concerns.
• Sue Private Housing Developer Aided by FHA, Charge Buyer Refused Solely Because of Race, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Negro World War II veteran in Sacramento filed suit alleging a federally insured housing developer refused to sell him a home due to his race. The NAACP is backing the case as part of a broader campaign against FHA-financed discrimination.
• Sake Regarded as Beer for Tax Purposes, and for Good Reason, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Finance Committee decided sake should remain taxed as beer rather than wine after Honolulu attorney Wilfred Tsukiyama argued the Hawaii sake industry would collapse under a higher rate. The committee agreed to scrap the House provision.
• Strong Advocate of Public Housing in Sudden Turnabout, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Senator Burnett Maybank said he would oppose public housing after the Supreme Court ended segregation in federally aided projects. The court refused to review a ruling requiring San Francisco to admit Negro tenants to a project.
• Supreme Court Outlaws Segregation in Public Colleges, Theaters and Recreation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Supreme Court unanimously extended its school desegregation ruling to publicly owned colleges, theaters, and golf courses. Lower courts were directed to reconsider several cases in light of the May 17 decision.
• Perry Post Commander, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Bill Takahashi was elected commander of the Commodore Perry Post of the American Legion in Los Angeles. It was the first veteran organization in southern California composed of persons of Japanese ancestry.

Military & Veterans

• JACL to Participate in National Memorial Day Rite at Arlington, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Members of the Washington, D.C. JACL chapter will visit the graves of 20 Nisei soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day and lay floral tributes. Photographs of the services will be mailed to next of kin.
• Golden Gate Rites at San Bruno Cemetery, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Golden Gate Nisei VFW post sponsors its second annual Memorial Day services at the National Golden Gate Cemetery in San Bruno. Gold Star Mothers and Boy Scouts will participate in honoring Nisei soldiers buried there.
• Pacific Citizen Memorial Day Veterans Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Maj. William B. Koons will speak at the Los Angeles Nisei Veterans memorial service at the Munemori Memorial in Evergreen Cemetery. Koons previously helped secure military honors for Nisei soldier funerals.
• Elect Sacramento Nisei VFW Council Commander, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Kenneth Nishimura, past commander of Sacramento’s Nisei VFW Post 8985, became the first Nisei commander of the Golden Poppy Council. The council includes about 25 posts in three counties.

Community

• Tokyo Bank Headquarters in California Is Moved, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Bank of Tokyo of California moved its head office to new quarters at 160 Sutter Street in San Francisco. The telephone number remains the same.
• Three Nisei Win in School Board Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei candidates won school board seats in Livingston, Cressy, Dos Palos, French Camp, and Orchard districts in recent elections. Shiro Bob Morimoto received the highest vote total in Livingston.
• Shimanouchi Heads Press Relations for Dignitary, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Toshiro Shimanouchi of Japan’s Foreign Office will handle press relations ahead of Prime Minister Yoshida’s arrival in San Francisco. He previously handled press relations for Crown Prince Akihito in London.
• Nisei Scholarship and Achievement Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A roundup of Nisei students recognized for academic and civic achievements, including scholarship winners and student officers across several states. Honorees include Irene Yamada, awarded a Far West Pendleton scholarship to Wellesley.
• Point-Four Man Asia-Bound, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Y. Baron Goto will tour ten Asian countries to promote an American technical training program run from Hawaii. Nakatsuka argues Hawaii’s multiracial society can showcase American democracy to Asians.
• Pinball Machines Flood Honolulu, Arrest Two Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Police arrested two Nisei businessmen and a distributor in Honolulu to test the legality of pinball machines paying cash prizes. The charge was maintaining a lottery.
• 22 Salt Lake Issei Get Citizenship Papers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-two Japanese immigrants became U.S. citizens in a ceremony before Judge Ray Van Cott Jr. in Salt Lake City. Other applicants from eighteen countries were also naturalized.
• Joint U.S.-Japan Film Cooperation Urged by Frank Borzage, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Director Frank Borzage, visiting Tokyo for the Southeast Asian Film Festival, expressed interest in an American-Japanese collaborative film. He praised Rashomon and said he wanted to see Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.
• Chicago Corner, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. Chicago’s Japanese American community raised $500 in pledges during a United Cerebral Palsy telethon. The column also reports community notes including the Mutual Aid Society Memorial Day services and a JACL outing.
• Convention Dress Tips From Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Convention committee members advise delegates to wear cotton and summer fabrics for the Labor Day 1954 JACL convention in Los Angeles. Hats are optional and short formals are popular for the Sayonara Ball.
• SCPNBSOA Honors Offered, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Convention organizers invited barbershop quartets and entertainers to participate in the National JACL Convention outing at Royal Palms. A prize will be offered to the winning quartet.
• Pacific Southwest Pre-Convention Rally in Pasadena July 18, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Pacific Southwest District Council will hold a pre-convention rally at Brookside Park in Pasadena on July 18. The program includes a business meeting, swimming, tennis, and a spaghetti lunch and barbecue dinner.
• West Los Angeles JACL Office Established, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The West Los Angeles JACL chapter established a permanent office in the rear of Kaye’s Barber Shop on Sawtelle Boulevard. Mail should be directed to the new office.
• Women’s Auxiliary for San Francisco, by Haru Ishimaru, page 5. Haru Ishimaru reports on a planning meeting for an informal Women’s Auxiliary to the San Francisco JACL chapter focusing on interests such as decorating and cooking. She also reports on Stockton JACL membership growth.
• Stockton Chapter Membership Growth and San Mateo Issei Citizens Dinner, by Haru Ishimaru, page 5. The Stockton JACL grew from 112 members in 1953 to 250 in 1954, and San Mateo JACL honored new Issei citizens with a potluck dinner. Ishimaru praises local leaders for their community service.
• Nisei for Knight Committee Co-Chairman Named, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Tom Yego of Penryn was named co-chairman of the Northern California Nisei for Knight committee. He is also vice-president of the Placer County Republican Assembly.
• PC Columnist Speaks at Denver Journalism Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Bill Hosokawa, editor of the Denver Post’s Empire magazine, addressed the Sigma Delta Chi journalism fraternity in Colorado. He is also a judge for an industrial editors contest.
• Kuchel Meets Nisei Supporters in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Senator Thomas Kuchel met Nisei volunteers in Los Angeles and expressed support for raising the Japan immigration quota and completing evacuation claims payments. He also suggested investigating losses of Terminal Island residents.
• Olympic Freeway Plans Affect Japanese American Homeowners, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Japanese American homeowners along the proposed Olympic Freeway learned they may have at least a year before construction. No funds have yet been allocated to purchase the homes.
• Warren Tsuneishi Wins Hay Whitney Fellowship, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Warren Michio Tsuneishi, curator at Yale University Library, was named a 1954 John Hay Whitney Foundation fellow. He will take leave to complete residence requirements for a Ph.D. in political science.

Commentary

• The Supreme Court and Civil Rights, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka examines Supreme Court rulings ending racial segregation in public schools, colleges, and recreational facilities, noting the judiciary has advanced civil rights more than Congress. He argues these decisions also benefit persons of Japanese ancestry.
• Three Months Off, by Harry Honda, page 2. Honda reflects on June graduation season, arguing that education should continue beyond formal schooling. He cites St. John’s College’s great books program as an example of lifelong learning.
• Larry Tajiri on the Word Skibby, by Larry Tajiri, page 6. Tajiri discusses the derogatory term skibby, traced by H.L. Mencken to a Japanese origin. He notes the word is largely unfamiliar to most Nisei today.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa comments on the word skibby, reviews Minoru Yamasaki’s design of the Kobe consulate, and profiles Colorado Nisei state patrolman Bill Kagohara. He notes Kagohara has faced no racial incidents on the job.
• Some Observations, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa reflects on Nisei professional success and the broader meaning of civil rights decisions for Japanese Americans. He highlights opportunities opening for Nisei in fields such as architecture and law enforcement.
• Outlaw Jim Crow, by Larry Tajiri, page 7. Tajiri analyzes the Supreme Court’s school segregation decision and its implications for Japanese Americans. He recounts historical segregation of Japanese children in California schools and the 1906 San Francisco segregation order.
• Segregation in Housing, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial argues that the Supreme Court’s school ruling should extend to housing, noting that FHA-insured projects often exclude minority buyers. It calls the fight to end segregation an ongoing task.

In-Depth

• Forgiveness, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama reports from Manila on Filipino Masons voting to admit Japanese freemasonry, reflecting forgiveness after wartime devastation. He also notes a Filipino jurist’s remarks on freedom of thought.

JACL

• Additional National JACL Endowment Fund Donations Received, by P.C. Staff, page 4. JACL reported an additional $1,300.58 in donations this month, bringing the National JACL Endowment Fund total to $76,745.86. Of this, $75,000 has been placed in trust.
• Convention Pacesetter, by Roy Nishikawa, page 5. Roy Nishikawa profiles the convention souvenir booklet committee and its early progress for the upcoming JACL convention. He also lists chapters that have placed on the convention honor roll for prepaid registrations.

Sports

• Sportscope, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A roundup of Nisei sports results including jockey George Taniguchi’s early Hollywood Park wins, track and golf results, and a Japanese boxing title defense. Also noted is Art Nagai’s table tennis win in Washington.

Obituaries

• Tom Ito Lil Tokio Insurance Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A notice of recent deaths in the Japanese American community is included in the vital statistics section. Names of the deceased and surviving family members are listed.

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