Mike Masaoka was a prominent Japanese American activist and civil rights leader who played a key role in advocating for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II and beyond. He was born on October 8, 1915, in Sacramento, California, and died on October 23, 1991, in San Francisco.
Masaoka grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood in California and experienced discrimination and racism firsthand. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1937, and became involved in Japanese American civil rights organizations shortly after the outbreak of World War II.
During the war, Masaoka served as the executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), a national organization that advocated for the rights of Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in internment camps. He worked tirelessly to ensure that Japanese Americans were treated fairly and with dignity, and he lobbied for their release from the camps.
After the war, Masaoka continued to fight for the rights of Japanese Americans, particularly in the areas of immigration and citizenship. He was instrumental in lobbying for the passage of the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952, which abolished racial restrictions on naturalization and paved the way for Japanese Americans to become citizens.
Masaoka also played a key role in the redress movement, which sought reparations for Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II. He was a key supporter of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided redress and an official apology to Japanese Americans who were interned during the war.
Throughout his life, Masaoka was a tireless advocate for Japanese American civil rights, and his work had a significant impact on the community. He received numerous honors and awards for his activism, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.