March 30, 2016
Civil Rights Champion
Oregon honors
man who defied
curfew on
Japanese
The inaugural Minoru Yasui Day
March for Justice was held Monday
in Portland to pay tribute to Minoru
“Min” Yasui, 74-years after his act
of civil disobedience made him a
true civil rights champion.
On March 28, 1942, in Portland,
Yasui deliberately broke a federal
curfew that had been placed on all
people of Japanese ancestry under Minouri ‘Min’ Yasui became a historic champion for civil rights
Executive Order 9066. He be- when he defied a curfew order placed on all people of Japanese
lieved the order, which eventually ancestry in 1942.
authorized the forced relocation
and incarceration of over 120,000
Japanese Americans, was uncon-
stitutional and wanted to bring a
challenge in court.
Yasui spent nine months in soli-
tary confinement in the Multnomah
County Jail for the curfew violation
and then was sent to Minidoka War
Relocation Center, one of 10 inland
concentration camps run by the fed-
eral government.
The March for Justice retraced
his historic walk on that fateful
day in 1942, going by the former
site of his law office in the Fos-
Nourishing
C ontinued froM f ront
– from hot pot pies to sandwiches
and charcuterie – present deli-
cious, convenient grab-n-go meals
to enjoy onsite or at home.
For technologically-minded
shoppers, New Seasons is equip-
ping the University Park store
with location-based beacon tech-
nology. When it pilots the pro-
gram later this year, customers
can opt in to receive in-store mo-
bile offers.
In celebration of the store
opening New Seasons is sup-
porting through their Bag It For-
ward program the Portland Parks
and Recreation’s Summer Play-
grounds and Lunches Program,
which serves Portland’s most vul-
nerable families, providing free
lunches for those in need to help
bridge the hunger gap created by
school breaks
“Our Summer Playgrounds and
Lunches Program is very aligned
with New Seasons’ commitment
to investing in organizations that
increase access to fresh, healthy
food for children and families in
the neighborhood,” said Portland
Parks Commissioner Amanda
Fritz. “We cannot meet the need
in our community and achieve
our mission of equity and inclu-
sion without valued sponsors in-
cluding New Seasons.”
Page 5
ter Hotel in Old Town Japantown
and ending at the former site of
Portland police headquarters on
Southwest Second Avenue and
Oak Street where he was arrested.
Yasui was the first Japa-
nese-American attorney admitted
to the Oregon State Bar. His en-
tire life was committed to the de-
fense of human and civil rights.
He became the first-ever Orego-
nian awarded a Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the highest civilian
award in the country, which was
bestowed on him by President
Barack Obama.
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