Setsuko Matsunaga Nishi was a Japanese American writer and journalist known for her firsthand account of life in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II.
Nishi's family was forced to leave their home and relocate to the Tanforan Assembly Center, a temporary internment camp located in San Bruno, California, in 1942. They were later transferred to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah, where they remained until the end of the war. During her time in the internment camp, Nishi kept a diary, which she later used to write her memoir, "A Daughter of the Nisei."
After the war, Nishi attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a degree in sociology. She went on to work for various community organizations, including the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and the Asian Law Caucus. She also worked as a journalist and wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle and other publications.
Nishi was actively involved in advocating for Japanese American redress and reparations for their internment during World War II. She served as the chair of the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, which was created to promote understanding and education about the Japanese American internment. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, which provided reparations to Japanese Americans who were interned during the war. Nishi was present at the White House when the bill was signed into law.
Throughout her life, Nishi was also involved in various community organizations, including the Japanese American Historical Society and the Japanese American National Museum. She received numerous awards for her activism, including the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Japanese government and the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund's Fred T. Korematsu Civil Rights Award.
Nishi's memoir, "A Daughter of the Nisei," has been widely praised for its honest and poignant portrayal of life in a Japanese American internment camp. It has been used as a primary source in academic studies and has helped to educate future generations about the injustices faced by Japanese Americans during World War II.