Chiye Tomihiro

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Chiye Tomihiro (December 20, 1924 - October 21, 2012) was a Japanese American activist who played a critical role in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

Contents

Early life

Tomihiro was born on December 20, 1924, in Portland, Oregon. [1] Her father was involved in real estate. [2] He held a law degree from the University of Oregon Law School, but could not practice because he did not have citizenship. [2] Despite this, he advised other people in the Japanese community about their legal problems. [2] He was a prominent businessman and held a stake in a building in Portland. [3]

Incarceration and recovery

After the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, compelling the forced evacuation and incarceration of Japanese-Americans from the West Coast in concentration camps. [4] The night, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Tomihiro's father while she, her siblings, and her mother were at a church event. [2] They came home to find their apartment ransacked and learned he was being held at Multnomah County Jail. [2] Her father was later incarcerated in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In September 1942, Tomihiro was incarcerated at Minidoka. [1] [3] She recalls feeling a sense of blind trust and patriotism, which quickly shifted to feelings of betrayal upon her incarceration. [2]

Following her incarceration, Tomihiro resettled in Denver, Colorado before moving to Chicago, Illinois. [5]

During their incarceration, her father's friend took care of the hotel, but eventually sold the building for "practically nothing". [2] When her family resettled in Chicago, this left him with very few opportunities for work upon his release. [2] He was never able to find stable employment. [2] Her mother found work as a seamstress, but they were living in a "dank and dark and roach and rodent infested" apartment. [3] In the ten years following her college graduation, Tomihiro gave most of her paychecks to her mother to provide some financial stability. [3]

Education

Tomihiro attended Denver University before transferring to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. [6] She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in math with a minor in business. [6]

Activism

Tomihiro was a lifelong member of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and served as the Chicago chapter president from 1977 to 1978. [1] She was also the JACL Chicago's chairperson of the redress committee, where she played a major role in organizing their organizing efforts to get reparations. [5] Tomihiro led volunteer recruitment to get people to testify about their experiences to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. [6] JACL Chicago ended up gathering around eighty people who were willing to testify. [6] Tomihiro also testified to the commission. [7] Her organizing efforts and testimony played a major role in the passing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which granted reparations to the incarcerated Japanese Americans. [6]

She was also a supporter of the American Friends Service Committee. [1]

Death

She died on October 21, 2012. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chiye Tomihiro, 1924-2012". Chicago Tribune. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Tateishi, John; Daniels, Roger (1999). And Justice for All: An Oral History of the Japanese American Detention Camps. University of Washington Press. pp. 239–2421. ISBN   978-0-29580-3-944.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "h023 - Chiye Tomihiro". collections.carli.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  4. ↑ "Incarceration by executive order". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  5. 1 2 "Chiye Tomihiro". Densho Digital Repository. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Video interview with Chiye Tomihiro (includes transcript of interview)". openarchives.umb.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  7. ↑ Chiye Tomihiro , retrieved 2023-07-06
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