Lincoln Kanai

Lincoln Kanai was a Japanese American activist and lawyer known for his work in advocating for the civil rights of Japanese Americans. He was born in California on May 13, 1920, to parents who were immigrants from Japan. He spent most of his childhood in California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1942.

During World War II, Kanai was forcibly removed from his home and sent to a Japanese American internment camp in Topaz, Utah. After being released from the camp in 1944, he served in the United States Army before returning to the University of California, Berkeley to earn his law degree.

In the 1950s, Kanai began practicing law in San Francisco and quickly became involved in civil rights cases for Japanese Americans. He was one of the first lawyers to challenge the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and helped to secure a landmark victory in the case of Yasui v. United States, which challenged the constitutionality of the curfew placed on Japanese Americans during the war.

Kanai also worked on cases involving discrimination against Asian Americans in housing, employment, and education. He was a founding member of the Asian Law Caucus, a legal organization that provided free legal services to Asian Americans and fought against discrimination and injustice.

In addition to his legal work, Kanai was also active in the Japanese American community. He served on the board of directors for the Japanese American Citizens League and was a founding member of the Japanese American Bar Association. He also helped to establish the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California.

Kanai passed away on November 14, 2008, at the age of 88. He was remembered for his dedication to fighting for the civil rights of Japanese Americans and his contributions to the legal profession. His work paved the way for greater acceptance and recognition of Japanese Americans in American society and helped to ensure that the injustices of the past would not be forgotten.