Minoru Yasui - Fighting for Justice

Minoru Yasui was a Japanese American lawyer who bravely challenged discriminatory laws during World War II.

Born in Hood River, Oregon, in 1916, Minoru Yasui was a civil rights leader who risked his freedom to challenge unfair treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII and spent decades working for justice.

His parents were Japanese immigrants who worked hard to give their children opportunities. Yasui studied at the University of Oregon and later earned his law degree from the University of Oregon Law School. While in college, he joined the U.S. Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and earned his commission in 1937. He became the first Japanese American lawyer admitted to the Oregon State Bar. Soon after, he worked for the Japanese government at its consulate in Chicago.

On December 8, 1941, the day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Yasui resigned from the consulate and went home to report for military duty. But the military rejected him nine times because of his Japanese heritage. On December 13, the FBI arrested his father, Masuo, calling him an “enemy alien.” Wanting to help his community, Yasui opened a law office in Portland to assist Japanese Americans in preparing for hard times ahead.

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This order gave the military power to create exclusion zones, set curfews, and later send Japanese Americans to internment camps. Outraged, Yasui decided to challenge the law in court. He broke curfew on purpose, walking into a police station to turn himself in so he could question the law’s fairness. While out on bail, he refused evacuation orders and went back to his family’s home in Hood River. This broke another law, and he was arrested again.

In court, Yasui was found guilty. The judge even ruled that, although he was born in Oregon, he was not truly a U.S. citizen because he had worked for the Japanese consulate. Yasui was sentenced to one year in prison and fined $5,000. While waiting for his appeal, he spent nine months in the Multnomah County Jail in Portland, then was moved to the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho.
Yasui’s case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices ruled against him, saying the curfew was legal. However, they removed the fine and decided the time he had already served was enough punishment. He was sent back to an internment camp, where he stayed until his release in 1944.

After the war, Yasui moved to Denver, Colorado. He opened a law practice and dedicated himself to community work, focusing on race relations and social justice. He became the regional chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), covering Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Montana.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Yasui worked to overturn the wartime convictions against him and to win payment and apologies for Japanese Americans who had been unjustly imprisoned during World War II. He worked hard with the JACL to get justice for his community. In 1986, more than forty years after his first arrest, an Oregon Federal Court overturned his convictions.

Minoru Yasui dedicated his life to standing up against unfair treatment, even when it meant risking his own freedom. His courage and determination helped make the United States a fairer place. Today, he is remembered as a civil rights leader who proved that one person can make a lasting difference.

References:
Minoru Yasui | Densho Encyclopedia, encyclopedia.densho.org/Minoru Yasui/.
“Min’s Life History.” Minoru Yasui Legacy, www.minoruyasuilegacy.org/biographical-timeline.

Key words:
Civil rights, Justice, Courage, Perseverance, Freedom, Responsibility, Challenge injustices, Stand Up for Your Beliefs

Image Citation:
"Minoru Yasui.jpg" by the Korematsu family licensed under CC BY 2.0

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