Mineo Katagiri was a prominent activist and community leader who fought for the rights of Japanese Americans during and after World War II. He was born in San Francisco on January 12, 1918, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a child.
During World War II, Katagiri and his family were forcibly removed from their home and sent to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, one of the many internment camps set up for Japanese Americans. While in the camp, he worked as a translator and also helped to start a community newspaper called the Heart Mountain Sentinel.
After the war, Katagiri became involved in community activism and worked to raise awareness about the injustices that Japanese Americans had faced. He was one of the founding members of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) in Los Angeles, and he also served as the organization's national president from 1959 to 1961.
Katagiri was a strong advocate for redress and reparations for Japanese Americans who had been interned during the war. He played a key role in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which granted reparations to Japanese Americans who had been interned and apologized for the government's actions during the war.
In addition to his work with the JACL, Katagiri was also involved in a number of other community organizations. He was a member of the California Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and he served on the board of the Little Tokyo Service Center.
Katagiri's activism and leadership were widely recognized in his lifetime. He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government, and he also received the Martin Luther King Jr. Award from the Japanese American National Museum. He passed away on November 16, 1990, leaving behind a legacy of advocacy and community service.