Grayce Uyehara, née Kaneda, (July 4, 1919 – June 22, 2014) was a Japanese-American social worker and activist who led the campaign for a formal government apology for Japanese-American internment during World War II.
Grayce Uyehara | |
|---|---|
| Born | Grayce Ritsu Kaneda July 4, 1919 |
| Died | June 22, 2014 (aged 94) |
| Education | University of the Pacific; BA, St. Cloud State Teachers College; MSW, University of Pennsylvania[2] |
| Occupation | Social Worker |
| Employer | Japanese American Citizens League[1] |
| Known for | Civil Rights |
| Spouse | Hiroshi Uyehara[3] |
| Children | Paul, Christopher, Laurence and Lisa[2] |
Early life
editBorn Grayce Ritsu Kaneda in Stockton, California, Uyehara was the second of seven children and part of the nisei generation. She was a student at the University of the Pacific, majoring in music, when she and her family were imprisoned in the Rohwer internment camp in Arkansas after the signing of Executive Order 9066.[2] After securing her release through a program allowing some internees to attend college, Uyehara moved to Minnesota and studied at St. Cloud State Teachers College, now St. Cloud State University.[4] She then moved to Philadelphia and married a fellow former internee, Hiroshi Uyehara. While living in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the Uyeharas organized the Philadelphia chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), where Grayce became one of its first women leaders nationwide.[5]
Career
editWhile an activist, Uyehara worked as a social worker. After her retirement, she volunteered as national director of the Legislative Education Committee, the JACL's lobbying arm.[2] Their efforts led to President Ronald Reagan's signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which issued a formal apology for internment and provided reparations for former internees.[5] She then chaired the JACL Legacy Fund campaign, which raised over $5 million to support other JACL programs. In 2014, she was honored by Asian Americans United with its Standing Up For Justice Award.
Death
editAfter a brief illness at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, New Jersey, Uyehara died on June 22, 2014. She was remembered by other Japanese Americans for her focus and effectiveness as an activist, "the heart and soul of redress."[6]
Further reading
edit- "Preliminary Inventory for the Grayce Uyehara Papers". Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- Gammage, Jeff (November 15, 2013). "Honoring a leader in fight for Japanese American redress". Philadelphia Inquirer.
References
edit- ^ a b c "JACL Mourns Passing of Redress Leader Grayce Uyehara". Rafu Shimpo. June 26, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Gammage, Jeff (June 23, 2014). "Grayce Uyehara, fought for interned Japanese-Americans". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ Naedele, Walter F. (August 4, 2014). "Obituary: Hiroshi Uyehara, 98, internee, engineer". Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "Grayce Kaneda, Masake Miyake, Ardith Burrell socialize". St. Cloud State University Archives and Special Collections Search. St. Cloud State University. 1944.
A photo of Grayce Kaneda
- ^ a b Hatamiya, Leslie (October 1, 1994). Righting a Wrong. Japanese Americans and the Passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804766067.
- ^ Buscher, Rob (December 15, 2017). "A Philadelphia Story". Pacific Citizen. JACL.
External links
edit- "Resolution Honoring the Life of Grayce Uyehara" (PDF). Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- "Densho interview: Grayce Uyehara". September 13, 1997. Retrieved June 13, 2021.