In the last chapter, I wrote about the Nihonjin-kai which supported the Japanese community and this chapter, I will write about the contributions of the Japanese community to the Community Chest fundraising organized by the City of Seattle.

What is the Community Chest?

As I wrote in the last chapter, as a new way to secure financial resources after the Consulate ended the allocation of certification guarantee fees in 1918, the North American Nihonjin-kai participated in a charity program the Seattle residents called the Community Chest. The Community Chest gave back part of the money collected. Most of the given money was used for preschools, daycare centers, child protection and helping unemployed people. At the same time, by participating in this Community Chest, they hoped to contribute to American society.

According to some sources the Nihonjin-kai started collecting financial resources through the Community Chest in 1921 and the financial resources section of Seattle City asked its community for a certain amount of money to be collected every year. The North American Nihonjin-kai took part in that role for 18 years until 1939. They collected more money than they planned ahead of many other American-dominated areas each year and received praise from over 500 American collectors who gathered at the reporting session. All city residents were informed of the details of the session through radio or in the newspaper.

I would like to write about the Community Chest using the articles¹ published in the 1934, 1935, 1938, and 1939 issues of The North American Times. 

In 1934

“Chest Tells the Coming of Fall to Seattle” (August 27, 1934 ssue)

North American Times, August 27, 1934

In September, the Community Chest tells the arrival of fall in Seattle. The collection this year will start in late-September and the target amount as already announced is around 597,000 dollars, of which around 4,000 dollars are expected to be collected by the Japanese. But we won’t have the actual amount until the 30th when it will be decided at the meeting. As such, the amount to be given to the Japanese remains undecided. But given this year’s economic conditions, collecting even 4,000 dollars will be challenging with the people involved saying that quite a commitment will be required to accomplish the goal.

If we think about this in terms of last year’s (1933) donation which was 4,146 dollars and 31 cents by 1,607 Japanese participants, it seems a little less feasible, but this charity activity has changed the view on the Japanese community since last year. While the Japanese community historically supported the Caucasian community, the head office decided to allocate more money to support the social activities of the Japanese than the collected amount; the allocation last year was 4,577 dollars. As they expect to get about 500 extra dollars on top of what the Japanese would collect on their own, they will obviously aim for the same goal next year.

In 1935

In 1935 the total target amount of the entire city of Seattle was 410,000 dollars and the target amount for the Japanese was 4,000 dollars. The Nihonjin-kai took the initiative by electing collectors and worked hard to collect forthe fund.

“Japanese Collects Over 4,000 Dollars for Community Fund As Of Yesterday” (October 9, 1935 issue)

North American Times, October 9, 1935

The total amount reported at the meeting of the Community Fund yesterday was 410,809 dollars which is approximately 90% of the total amount targeted this year. Of this total, the reported total amount collected by the Japanese is 4,007 dollars and 80 cents, with 44 dollars and 75 cents added from yesterday which has been collected by a total of 1,647 members. They have proudly reached their goal and in yesterday’s meeting at noon, they reported it and were praised by unanimous applause as usual....

The fact that only the Japanese area had reached the target amount was well-received by the Caucasian community as it showed the bond of the community. In response to this, chairperson Nakasone attributed the success to the cooperation of the committee members as well as general residents and is highly pleased that they have fulfilled the responsibility this year.

“We Earn More Than What We Get Through Community Fund” (October 14, 1935 issue)

The community fund collected by the Japanese in Seattle this year was a total of 4,019 dollars and 80 cents as updated from last week, and the gathering of people ended at 1,658 members. The long-term effort of the Japanese every year has helped spread the Japanese mindset in various fields and thanks to that, the Caucasians have changed their narrow-minded view they once had toward the Japanese lately. This is what we have earned more than the community fund and it’s something that we should embrace together with our peer Japanese residents.”

In 1938

The target amount was set to 4,200 dollars in 1938 and the collecting started on October 4.

“Promote Japan-US Friendship Through Joint Funding” (September 29, 1938 issue)

At the committee of the Nissho Community Funding Section, president Mihara stated the following:

“We aim to promote Japan-US friendship and encourage mutual understanding through the collection of the joint funding....With the past 16 years of cooperation for the collection of the joint funding by our fellow Japanese residents, we have shown our spirit of harmony to Americans.”

“Joint Funding Collects Over 3,200 Dollars” (October 8, 1938 issue)

The collection of the joint funding will start all over the city in the early morning on Wednesday, following the kick-off dinner next Tuesday. At the kick-off dinner at the city assembly hall, the triple-handicapped saint Ms. Helen Keller will encourage all with her powerful, miracle voice. On the Japanese side, though, they have already started the drive-in and with 527 dollars and 20 cents from yesterday, they have collected a total of 3,278 dollars and 45 cents so far.

“Calling for Joint Funding” (October 13, 1938 issue)

North American Times, October 13, 1938

The first reporting of the joint funding collection which started yesterday morning throughout the city was held at noon today at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. Spencer announced the collection amount that was reported at noon today. According to the report, they have collected a total of 91,435 dollars and 94 cents, and Hayano, the chief chairperson of the Japanese team, received a big applause upon announcing the amount up to that day which was 2,055 dollars and 70 cents.

“Calling for Joint Funding” (October 18, 1938 issue)

The Japanese team still firmly leads the joint funding collection. At the fourth reporting, they announced that they reached 3,818 dollars and 15 cents, which is nearly 91% of the target.

“Finishing in Second But the Japanese Reaches Their Goal Too”  (October 21, 1938 issue)

The joint funding has reached 329,490 dollars as of yesterday....The Japanese team reached their target at the reporting session at noon yesterday with 4,209 dollars and 80 cents which was received by a big applause. From the team, Consul Sato, president of Nikkai Mihara and others attended and over 300 Americans showed their gratitude and respect with three cheers of banzai.

In 1939

In 1939 the initial target assigned for the Japanese team was 5,000 dollars, but through a tough negotiation they settled for 4,200 dollars.

“Mutual Aid Fund of This Year” (August 28, 1939 issue)

Administrative committee chairperson Darwin Maisnest (マイスネスト) made an announcement that the collection of the community funding this year will start on October 26 with a target of 599,006 dollars. According to him, achieving this goal is a must, as it will cover what is needed for the social activities. The reason for increasing the target amount this year is the expansion of services such as protection of orphans and sending nurses.

“Joint Funding Reaches the 2,000-Dollar Milestone” (October 21, 1939 issue)

The joint funding has seen great progress thanks to the continuous efforts of the committee members and at the second reporting it was announced that they had collected 550 dollars and 75 cents, making the total amount 1,909 dollars and 20 cents.

“Joint Funding Reaches the 3,000-Dollar Milestone” (October 26, 1939)

The calling for the joint funding will begin in the entire city upon Mayor Langley’s declaration tomorrow morning following an official ceremony. Tonight there will be the University of Washington’s band performance and a theatrical performance at the city assembly hall. As of yesterday, the Japanese team collected a total of 2,768 dollars and 50 cents.

“Exceeding the Target of Community Fund” (November 4, 1939 issue)

North American Times, November 4, 1939

At the city assembly hall yesterday, president Mihara of Nissho and other related parties attended the reporting session of the community fund. They announced that the total amount reached 4,222 dollars and it exceeded the target amount of 4,200 dollars. Each member lined up on the stage and walked around the venue following the Japanese Boy Scout band.They received a big applause from over 800 people in attendance. They left with a great impression after fulfilling the responsibility for this collaborative work between the Japanese and Americans.

As such, the Japanese team always reached their target. In response, the city of Seattle highly regarded this accomplishment by the Japanese and praised their work for Community Chest by urging many other groups in Seattle that haven’t reached their goal to model the Japanese team. As the anti-Japan sentiment was beginning to emerge across the country after the Sino-Japanese war in 1937, the Japanese in Seattle prioritized achieving mutual prosperity with Americans as a way to survive. In Seattle City, the Community Chest activities played a big role in alleviating the anti-Japan mood against the Japanese.

Conclusion

 The community chest played a significant role not only as a stable financial resource for the Japanese associations but also in demonstrating the presence of the Japanese American community in American society.

Next chapter will introduce articles about the participation of the Japanese American community in the annual Potlatch Festival held in Seattle.

*The excerpt from the article summarizes the original text.

Note:

1. All article excerpts are from The North American Times unless noted otherwise.

Reference:

The Committee of Japanese in America for Preserving Historical Events, ed., Zaibei Nihonjin Shi (History of Japanese in America), Zaibei Nihonjin-kai, 1940

*The English version of this series is a collaboration between Discover Nikkei and The North American Post, Seattle’s bilingual community newspaper. This article was originally publishd in Japanese on January 29, 2023 in The North American Post.

© 2023 Ikuo Shinmasu