Rafu Shimpo, 4/27/99, Michi Weglyn was Noted Activist

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NO. 28,769
T U E S D A Y , ' A P R I L2 7 . 1 9 9 9
LosAngelesJapanese
Daily News
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OBITUARY
Michi WeglynWasNotedActivistWhc
Herbook,"Yearsof
tions forviolations oftheir civil liberties
by the U.S. govemmentduring World
fnfamy," inspiied the Nikkei War
II, died Sunday, April 25, in New
commuruty lRto actlon to
York after a long illness. She was 72.
A Central Valley farm girl, Weglyn
demandreparationsfor
wasbom in I 926 in Stocktonto Tomojiro
violationsof their civil
and Hisao Yuwasa Nishiura. As a teenlibeniesduringWWII.
ager, she was placed in a camp for persons of Japanesedescentat Gila River,
Ariz., during World War II.
By TAKESHI NAKAYAMA
With help from the Quakersand conRAFU ASSOCIATEEDITOR
cerned educators,she was able to leave
Noted author, researcherand redress the Arizona "relocation center" to atactiyist Michi Nishiura Weglyn, whose tend Mount Holyoke College in Massa"Years Infamy," gallandmarkbook,
of
chusetts, where she was offered a full
vanized the JapaneseAmerican com- scholarship. However, because of illmunity into action to demand repara- ness,she was forced to drop out.
Moving to New York City in the late
1940sto launch her careeras a costume
designer for television and Bioadway,
she met Walter Weglyn, a Jewish refugeefrom the Netherlands.Thdy manied
in 1950.
"Walter was one of the few Jewish
children from his homelown to survive
the Nazi holocaust. so he well understoodthe importanceof supporting Michi
as she documented the history of her
own internment," said Weglyn's longtime friend Philip Tajitsu Nash.
As one of 120,000Nikkei who were
forcibly removedfrom their West Coast
homesand inparceratedin wartime U.S.
concentrationcamps,Weglyn had apar-
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AFIJ SHIMPCI @
LosAngebs Street,LosAngeles,CA 90012
Phone:(213)629-2231
Fax:(213)687-0737
Established
1903
'Bible'
hoWroteRedress
ticular interestin discovering the details
behind the intemment. Herbook, a thoroughly researchedaccountof the intemment years from the perspective of an
Americar internee of Japaneseancestry, is credited with inspiring Japanese
Americans to seekreparationsfrom the
United Statesgovernment.
Weglyn disclosed,in a 1993 interview. she was motivated to write the book when, during the civil rights campaign of the 1960s, Attorney General
RamseyClark statedthat "we havenever
had, do not now have and will not ever
have concentrationcamos here."'
Former intemeeWegiyn recalled,"I
thoughf that was an outright lie. I was a
retired costume designerin New York,
and I decidedthey were not going to get
away with that. That was the catalystfor
my book."
The book took eightyearsofpainstaking research,with Weglyn relying on the
secret files from the FDR Library, the
National Archives andother materialsto
uncoverthe history anddepthof the U.S.
policy towardAmericanresidents
of Japanesedescent.
Her bookcameout in 1975.
Aftera l0-yearbattle,JapaneseAmericanssucceededin convincing Congress'to
passtheCivil LibertiesAct of I 988,which
authorizedan apology andthe paymentof
$20,000to every JapaneseAmerican who
PleaseseeWeglyn,Page3
MARIO G. REYES/Rafu Shinpo
Michi Weglyn
T U E S D A Y ,A P R I L 2 7 , 1 9 9 9
Weglyn
3
mary documents,tbr the NCJAR lawsuit.
Richard Katsuda, president of the
From Page I
NationalCoalition for Re-rlress
andRepahad been intemed or whose rishts had
rations (NCRR)-Los Angeles, stated,
beenviolatedduring World War1t.
"NCRR
is very saddenedby Michi's
More importantly, said Weglyn at
passing. We were aware of her acute
"restored
the time, the law
honor" to the
illness and pain, and our hearts were
Japanese
Americans.
Her
always with her. Michi proved to be the
groundbreakingaccountofthe dark episametenaciousfighter of her illness as
"the
sodein U.S. history is regardedas
shewas in fighting forredemption ofour
bible of the redressmovement."
community.
Almost up to her last days, Weglyn
"She was
amazing.With tremendous
continued to advise groups seeking repassion, Michi researched and docudress and spoke out against the injusmented our internment story ... With
tices perpetratedagainstthose who had
that same passion, Michi fought to the
been denied reparations-the Japanese
end for thosein our community who has
Latin American abductee/internees.
railbeen denied their due redress. Michi
road and mine workers and their famiwas truly an inspiration, a heroine for
lies,the Hawaiianintemees,andothers.
our community and our country. How
we will miss her grace. *armth and
Tributes
fighting spirit."
Weglyn' sfriend andfellow researcher
Aiko YoshinagaHerzig, stated,"It's a
Source of Inspiration
profoundloss,especiallyfor thoseof us
Kay Ochi, vice presidentof NCRRwho were closefriends.She was a pioL.A., commented,"I'm deeplysaddened.
neer, an inspiration, she was a giving,
Michi's greatpassionand dedicationto
thoughtfullady. We'll miss her a lot.
redresshavebeena sourceofinspiration
"Michi
laid the groundwork for what
to me. Her research and tenaiity on
"She
therestof us did," Herzig stressed.
behalf of the railroad and mine worker
wasout to provewe wereunjustlytreated,
families in the past few years were esand she did that. She planted the seed,
sential to their reparations.
the evidence,for all of us to dig, which
"Just last
month shesharedher anger
led to successof the redressmovement.
with me about the way the Japanese
"It was
a tremendousloss for all of
Latin Americans were being treated,"
us,"emphasizedHerzig,whoseresearch
shesaid.
work for the Commission on Wartime
"I am so grateful
to havemetMichi at
Relocation and Intemment of Civilians
lastyear'sDay of Remembrance,"Ochi
ledto arecommendationfrom that body
added."What a beautiful and charming
to provide an apology and monetary
woman. She made everyone feel very
payments to each internee.
special.I will miss her tremendously."
"Repairing
William Hohri, author of
Herb Yamanishi, national director of
America" andnational spokespersonfor
the
JapaneseAmerican CitizensLeague,
theNationalCouncil for Japanese
Ameri"It's tragic.
stated,
Michi was notedfor
can Redress(NCJAR), which pursueda
her
chronicling
of redressand getting it
lawsuit against the U.S. government,
said,"Michi changed,throughher book, out to the public about the Japanese
in a radical and fundamental way our Americans and the violations of their
understanding of what happenedto us civil libertiesandconstitutionalriehts."
Weglyn wasvotedtheJACLer-ofthe
during the war. It's somethingthat will
Biennium in 1978for her work.
never go away.
"Years
"Michi also
of Infamy" is still regardedas
demonstrated that a
woman who was not a graduatefrom a the principal publication to learn about
history, the JACL
college can write a book on history in a JapaneseAmerican
"She was
director
noted.
the one that
just
way that is
as capableas somebody
with a Ph.D. and the title of professorin really got us to investigatethe railroad
and mining workers' eligibility for rea university," he said.
"She
dress.
She really pursued that matter,
was an inspiration to all struggling writers, like me, and she was a and for JapaneseLatin Americans'as
very good personalfriend," commented well."
"We've lost
a friend and a person
Hohri, who said Weglyn provided "lots
who
truly understoodwhat happenedto
of important information," basedon prithe community and how to articulate
that message,"Yamanishipointed out.
"Everybody
in the community has been
touched, to some extent, by her spirit
and adyocacy.It's a sad loss for the
community."
Committed to Justice for Resisters
PaulTsuneishi,Weglyn's friend and
a supporterof the Nikkei draft resisters,
saidWeglyn "was a vocatrand passionate advocatefor justice and redressfor
all JapaneseAmericans. She was, to the
end,committed to justice for resistersof
conscienceto the draft from the camps,
and JapanesePeruvians and others
brought to this country at the behestof
our government,purportedly to be used
as exchangehostageswith the Japanese
governmentduring World War II.
"We
have lost a great and true friend
in Walter and Michi," Tsuneishi
mourned.
Dr. Bob Suzuki,presidentofCal Poly
Pomona and a longtime social justice
advocate,added."She was a hero to so
many people.No matterhow many honors she received, she always had the
people who suffered inequities uppermost in her mind."