Satohata Takahashi and the Society for the Development of Our Own
This topic has been floating around as a bundle of notes in the Mythic Detroit archives for years, but more information is available these days. The nutshell version is that a man going by the name of Satohata Takahashi established in 1930s Detroit (among other cities) a pro-Japanese black nationalist organization called the Society for the Development of Our Own (sometimes just The Development of Our Own"). However, in addition to the pre-war espionage angle, there are questions about Takahashi's true identity, apparent conflict with the early Nation of Islam, and just generally
Photo of Takahashi prior to his deportation
The Messenger - biography of Elijah Mohammed, with info on SDOO
When Japan Was Champion of the Darker Races - Journal Article
The African American Encounter With Japan and China: Black Internationalism
After Takahashi had been deported, the May 1938 edition of the American Journal of Sociology summarized his activities in Detroit.
There was a Time Magazine article about the 1942 arrest of over 100 pro-Japanese African-American activists, with the title of "Takahashi's Blacks".
Stories and Speculation
Sources
Categories: