Minoru Yasui
Minoru Yasui | |
---|---|
安井稔 | |
Born | Hood River, Oregon, U.S. | October 19, 1916
Died | November 12, 1986 Denver, Colorado, U.S. | (aged 70)
Resting place | Hood River, Oregon |
Other names | Min |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Known for | Yasui v. United States |
Spouse |
True Shibata (m. 1946) |
Children | 3 |
Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumous, 2015) |
Minoru Yasui (安井稔, Yasui Minoru, October 19, 1916 – November 12, 1986) was an American lawyer from
Yasui's case made its way to the
In 2015, Senator
Early life
Born in
After law school he "was the first Japanese-American attorney admitted to the Oregon State Bar."
World War II
Yasui returned to Hood River from Chicago after his father, Masuo Yasui, requested that he come home in order to report for military duty.
On March 28, 1942, Yasui deliberately broke the military implemented curfew in Portland, by walking around the downtown area and then presenting himself at a police station after 11:00 pm in order to test the curfew’s constitutionality.[9][11][12] He first asked an officer on the street to arrest him but was told to "Run along home, sonny boy," and so he walked into the police station.[9] Later, on bail, he learned that a grand jury had indicted him. After the notice was given for the Japanese to evacuate, Yasui notified the authorities that he had no intentions of complying, and went to his family's home in Hood River. This violated another law restricting travel of Japanese Americans,[5] and authorities arrested him in Hood River.
Yasui had consulted a friend in the FBI prior to arrest, and consulted with other legal minds to try to test the legality of the orders.[4][7] At trial he was defended by private attorney Earl Bernard.[13] Gus J. Solomon, later a judge for the same court, had asked the national American Civil Liberties Union to defend Yasui as no local Oregon groups elected to support Yasui.[13] One part of the strategy was to proceed with a non-jury trial, leaving the decision only to the judge. Solomon was asked by Fee to help advise the court on the issues, along with eight other attorneys.[13] At his trial, federal judge James Alger Fee found Yasui guilty and, further, that Yasui (born in Hood River, Oregon) was not a U.S. citizen. Yasui was sentenced to one year in prison and given a $5000 fine.[4][12]
Yasui waited nine months for his chance in court for appeal. During this time he was incarcerated at the Multnomah County Jail in Portland, and later sent to the
Later years
In 1944, Yasui was allowed to leave the internment camp in the summer and was employed in Chicago before moving to
Living in Denver, Yasui became involved with community relations, serving on committee set up by the mayor, and later from 1959 to 1983 on the Commission on Community Relations.[4] This commission dealt with race relations and other social issues, with Yasui as executive director from 1967 to 1983.[4] In 1954, he was chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League’s (JACL) district covering Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Montana.[4] The Minoru Yasui Community Service Award was started in 1974 by Denver community leaders, and is awarded annually to Denver area volunteers.[4]
In 1976, Yasui began working on the JACL’s committee concerning redress for the internment during World War II.[4] He continued on that committee until 1984, serving as its chairman in 1981.[4] He also filed in federal district court in Oregon a coram nobis to attempt to overturn his conviction in 1984.[4] His conviction was overturned by the Oregon federal court in 1986.[6] Minoru Yasui died on November 12, 1986, and is buried in his hometown of Hood River.[4]
Legacy
The City and County of Denver owns an office building named after Yasui. Located at 303 West Colfax Avenue in Denver, the building is called Minoru Yasui Plaza, or the Minoru Yasui Building.[14] A bronze bust of Yasui adorns the building's foyer.[15]
See also
References
- ^ "Hirono, Honda Praise Awarding Of Presidential Medal Of Freedom To Civil Rights Leader Minoru Yasui". hirono.senate.gov. November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- National Archives.
- ^ "Salem tour supports 'Minoru Yasui Day' | Gorge Life | columbiagorgenews.com". December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Japanese American Internment Curriculum: Minoru Yasui". San Francisco State University. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
- ^ a b "The Yasui Legacy". University of Oregon Libraries. libweb.uoregon.edu. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Oregon Biographies: Minoru Yasui". The Oregon History Project. ohs.org. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Minoru Yasui v. U.S., United States Supreme Court, 320 U.S. 115 (1943)". caselaw.lp.findlaw.com. 1943. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
- ^ a b United States v. Yasui, 48 F. Supp. 40, (D. Or. 1942).
- ^ a b c d e Irons, Peter H. 1983. Justice At War. New York: Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, March 30, 2016, Page Page 5, Image 5 « Historic Oregon Newspapers". oregonnews.uoregon.edu. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "Chronology of World War II Incarceration". Japanese American National Museum. janm.org. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
- ^ ISBN 0-87595-296-8.
- ^ a b c Eisenberg, Ellen. "As Truly American as Your Son: Voicing Opposition to Internment in Three West Coast Cities". Oregon Historical Quarterly. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
- ^ "Public office buildings". City and County of Denver. denvergov.org. Retrieved December 30, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 9780295800097. Archivedfrom the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
External links
- Minoru Yasui
- Minoru Yasui Collection in Auraria Library Digital Collections
- Human & Constitutional Rights
- "Day of Remembrance". The Oregon Encyclopedia.
- C-SPAN
- "Densho interview: Minoru Yasui". October 23, 1983. Retrieved June 13, 2021.