Letter to President Dwight D. Eisenhower from Inez Ashdown In Favor of School Integration

in 9/21 25 September 1957 2057 Mr. Dwight D. Eisenhower President of the United States Washington, D.C. Honorable Sir: God bless you at this time when so many people seem to be against your policies. It may help a little for you to know that I, and all the people here particularly my family and neighbors, are back of you , believing in you, and saying prayers of deep gratitude that you are our leader. How those mis- guided ignoramuses can call you a "dictator and a communist" is a mystery to us! How born Americans can be so non-Good Samaratin and full of racial hatred toward other Americans who are Negroes, is simply be- yond our comprehension. Maybe my husband is right in saying that the Almighty left the Hawaiians and the Hawaiian Islands as a reminder of what Paradise could have been. At any rate, we know the meaning of Aloha and we cannot feel hatred against anyone, let alone loathe people for their color of skin! I have a Japanese-American friend who gave up a fine job on the plantation because the leaders of the ILWU Union local who had forced him and others to pay dues, went out and beat up some of the supervisors. That boy could not countenance violence of any sort because he is a faithful Buddhist. He now operates a taxi service of his own, but manages to take good care of his family. On the other hand, the caucasian leaders of the ILWU here have worked hard to instill racial hatred into the rank and file, and that is the main reason we so dislike the local labor union methods! We Americans are expected to be decent, well-bred, courteous and just leaders in the world. Our very Govern- ment is based on Christian principles for which our fore- fathers and our sons have fought: How, then, can the people of Arkansas be so different from us here in Hawaii nei? May the good God enlighten them, and help them to see how ugly their violence and hatred and false pride are to Him, and to all of us who follow the teachings of the gentle Christ Child: In our schools we welcome every child, regardless of color of skin. We find wonderful qualities in all of our children here, even the Negroes.