Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga

Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga was a Japanese-American activist, researcher, and community leader. Born on July 19, 1924, in Los Angeles, California, Herzig-Yoshinaga is best known for her work in exposing and seeking reparations for the forced relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

During World War II, Herzig-Yoshinaga and her family were forced to leave their home in Los Angeles and were sent to the Manzanar internment camp in California. After the war, Herzig-Yoshinaga went on to earn a degree in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

In the 1970s, Herzig-Yoshinaga became involved in the movement to seek reparations and an apology from the US government for the internment of Japanese Americans. She was a researcher for the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, which investigated the internment, and her discovery of key documents related to the internment led to the reversal of the conviction of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese-American who had challenged the constitutionality of the internment.

Herzig-Yoshinaga also played a key role in the redress movement, which sought reparations and an apology from the US government for the internment. She testified before Congress and was a member of the National Council for Japanese American Redress, which successfully lobbied for the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which granted reparations to Japanese Americans who had been interned during the war.

Herzig-Yoshinaga continued to be involved in activism and community work throughout her life. She was a co-founder of the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations, which advocated for reparations for other groups who had been wronged by the US government, such as Native Americans and Hawaiians.

Herzig-Yoshinaga passed away on July 18, 2018, in Torrance, California. She is remembered as a trailblazing activist and researcher who fought tirelessly for justice and reparations for Japanese Americans who had been unjustly interned during World War II. Her legacy continues to inspire and inform the work of activists and community leaders who fight for social justice and civil rights.