Ralph Lazo
Ralph Lazo | |
---|---|
Staff Sergeant | |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Bronze Star |
Ralph Lazo (November 3, 1924 – January 1, 1992) was the only known non-spouse, non-Japanese American who voluntarily relocated to a Japanese American internment camp during World War II. His experience was the subject of the 2004 narrative short film Stand Up for Justice: The Ralph Lazo Story.
Biography
Ralph Lazo, born in Los Angeles on November 3, 1924,[1] was of Mexican-American and Irish American descent. His mother died when he and his sister were young, leaving them in the care of their father, who found work painting houses and murals.[2]
As a
"Internment was immoral", Lazo told the Los Angeles Times. "It was wrong, and I couldn't accept it."[3] "These people hadn't done anything that I hadn't done except to go to Japanese language school."[7]
Lazo attended school at the camp, and also spent time entertaining orphaned children who had been forcibly relocated to Manzanar.[2] In 1944, Lazo was elected president of his class at Manzanar High School.[3] After his graduation, he remained at the camp until August 1944, when he was inducted into the US Army.[3] He served as a staff sergeant in the South Pacific until 1946, helping liberate the Philippines. Lazo was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism in combat.[3][4] The film Stand Up for Justice: The Ralph Lazo Story documents his life story, particularly his stand against the incarceration.[8]
After the war, Lazo returned to Los Angeles, where he graduated from
Lazo died in 1992 from liver cancer, at the age of 67.[9]
References
- ^ a b "Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes: The Voluntary Prisoner". Retrieved 2016-01-01.
- ^ a b c d Majerol, Veronica (July 3, 2019), "Ralph Lazo, Who Voluntarily Lived in an Internment Camp", The New York Times
- ^ a b c d e Rasmussen, Cecilia (May 27, 2007). "Following His Beliefs Led Him To Manzanar". Los Angeles Times. p. B2.
- ^ a b "Densho: Reading: The Incarceration Years". Densho. Archived from the original on 2009-10-02.
- ^ Yen, Janice. "Who Was Ralph Lazo?". National Coalition for Civil Rights and Redress. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ Nakayama, Takeshi (January 9, 1992). "Nikkei Community Loses Loyal Friend" (PDF). Los Angeles Japanese Daily News. p. 1. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
- ^ "Ralph Lazo – A True Friend". Los Angeles Almanac. Archived from the original on April 16, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
- ^ "Stand Up for Justice:The Ralph Lazo Story". National Coalition for Civil Rights and Redress. January 2004. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
- ^ "Ralph Lazo, 67, Interned in Relocation Camp". Times-News. January 10, 1992.