Tomekichi Homma
Tomekichi Homma was a notable figure in the history of Japanese-Canadian civil rights, born around 1865 in Ichikawa City, Japan. Coming from a Samurai-caste family, he immigrated to Canada in 1883, seeking a life beyond the privileges and expectations of his heritage. Settling in Steveston, British Columbia, he worked as a fisherman, a common occupation for Asian immigrants at the time. Homma recognized the systemic racism that marginalized non-White fishermen, which led him to establish the Japanese Fisherman's Benevolent Society to advocate for fair wages and working conditions.
In his pursuit of justice, he also founded the first Japanese-language newspaper in Canada and helped build a Japanese school for immigrant children. Homma's activism culminated in a significant legal battle for voting rights, challenging discriminatory laws that barred Asian Canadians from voting. Although he initially won in lower courts, the ruling was eventually overturned by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which upheld the province's right to discriminate. Tragically, Homma's life ended in internment during World War II, where he and many Japanese Canadians faced severe hardships. His legacy continues to resonate, with recognition of his contributions to democracy in Canada and a school named in his honor to promote cultural respect and diversity.
Tomekichi Homma
Community leader
- Born: ca. 1865
- Birthplace: Ichikawa City, Japan
- Died: 1945
- Place of death: near Slocan, British Columbia, Canada
Also known as: Tomey Homma
Significance: Tomekichi Homma was a Japanese immigrant settler in the village of Steveston, British Columbia, Canada, who fought for the right for Japanese-Canadians to be able to vote.
Background
Tomekichi Homma was born in Ichikawa City, Japan, about 1865. He was born into a Samurai-caste family that taught him to believe in justice and equality. The Samurai were the military officer caste of Japan from the twelfth century until the 1870s. Homma’s father was part of the political ruling class, which was a small percentage of the population, and that gave Homma many advantages in Japanese society.
However, Homma decided to leave his home country, and along with it, the tradition, privileges, and expectations of his family. He immigrated to Canada in 1883 to the fishing village of Stevenston, British Columbia, which later became Richmond. There, he took up work as a fisherman, the only work available to an Asian immigrant in the area. He was naturalized as a Canadian by 1896.
After British Columbia had officially become a province of Canada in 1876, it became illegal for Indigenous or Asian people to vote in municipal elections. Fishermen like Homma relied on alliances with each other in unions to help ensure the canneries paid fair prices for their catches. However, due to racism, fishermen’s unions would not accept membership of non-White fishermen.
Life’s Work
To combat the injustice in the fishing industry and in his community, Homma decided to form his own labor union to help his fellow Japanese fishermen, who comprised about half of the Canadian fisherman workforce. In the late 1890s, he founded the Japanese Fisherman’s Benevolent Society. In addition, he also helped the community construct the first Japanese school for children of immigrants and founded Shinpo, the first Japanese-language newspaper in Canada. He became well-respected in the community and helped many of his fellow immigrants in his village.
In 1900, he decided to register to vote to make more of a difference in the laws and politics in the community. He went to a Vancouver voting station to have his name registered, but he was turned away by the registrar of voters, Thomas Cunningham. He was following the provincial law that forbade anyone of Chinese, Japanese, or Indigenous heritage to vote in an election. This was important to Homma and others in his community because Asian Canadians had been denied a voice in their community. Furthermore, laws had forced them out of working in the legal field, medicine, or the government. They also could not hold public office or serve on a jury.
With fellow members of the Japanese-Canadian community behind him, he decided to take the matter to court in what would eventually become a historic case of human rights. Six days later, he filed his lawsuit personally against Cunningham and the British Columbian government. First, the case went to the Vancouver County Court in November 1900. Homma won based on the ruling that only the federal government could legislate voting and the Naturalization Act entitled naturalized citizens, such as Homma, to vote.
However, the province did not accept the ruling and appealed to the provincial Supreme Court, which also upheld the decision. The government continued to fight the case and the province appealed again to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, which was the highest court of appeal in Canada at the time. In 1902, the court overturned the lower courts’ rulings and upheld the right of the province to discriminate against voters based on any criteria they should choose. This landmark ruling essentially legalized racism and discrimination against other groups of people, including women.
After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, more than 20,000 Japanese-Canadians were rounded up and taken to internment camps in the interest of national security. Once again the victim of racism and discrimination, Homma, his family, and fellow Japanese Canadians were taken to a camp near Slocan, British Columbia. The conditions were primitive and often unsanitary. Homma died while imprisoned in 1945.
Two years after his death, fellow advocates for Japanese-Canadian rights took up the cause for voting. In 1949, Asian Canadians were given the right to vote. In December 2017, Parks Canada recognized Homma’s contribution to democracy and dedicated a plaque in his honor at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Impact
The civil rights legacy of Homma lives on in British Columbia where he contributed greatly to the foundation of Canada’s democratic government. The Tomekichi Homma Elementary School is located in the area where Stevenston used to be and was built in a Japanese architectural style. It was named in his honor to inspire young Canadians and the community to seek harmony and respect cultural diversity.
Personal Life
Homma married Matsu Tanikawa in Vancouver on February 28, 1900. They had a son, Keay, who co-authored a book detailing his father’s life and his struggle for justice.
Bibliography
Homma, K.T. & C.G. Isaksson. Tomekichi Homma: The Story of a Canadian, Hancock House, 2008.
“Japanese Canadian History.” National Association of Japanese Canadians, 2023, najc.ca/japanese-canadian-history/. Accessed 3 July 2023.
“Our School Story.” Homma Elementary School, homma.sd38.bc.ca/our-school-story. Accessed 3 July 2023.
“Portraits of the Community—Japanese Canadians.” Coquitlam Heritage, 31 May 2023, www.coquitlamheritage.ca/blog-pages/2023/5/31/portraits-of-the-community-japanese-canadians. Accessed 3 July 2023.
Price, John & Grace Eiko Thomson. “John Price and Grace Eiko Thomson: Remembering B.C. Civil Rights Leader Tomekichi Homma.” Straight, 8 Dec. 2017, www.straight.com/news/1006111/john-price-and-grace-eiko-thomson-remembering-bc-civil-rights-leader-tomekichi-homma. Accessed 3 July 2023.
Wood, Graeme. “Steveston Pioneer Helped Define Canada’s Democratic Values with Epic Court Battle.” Richmond News, 4 Jan. 2018, www.richmond-news.com/local-news/steveston-pioneer-helped-define-canadas-democratic-values-with-epic-court-battle-3064751. Accessed 3 July 2023.