Written by Phil Shigekuni for the DOR Archives
Revised 4/23/08

The late Clifford Uyeda, as National JACL President, took on the task of pulling together those interested in reparations (as it was called then) to form a Redress Committee. John Tateishi chaired this committee.  I was on the committee due to my involvement with E.O. 9066 Inc., an organization formed after a community meeting at the San Fernando Valley JA Community center in April of 1975, which attracted JA’s from all over Southern California.  After JACL, at its 1978 National Convention, decided to pursue redress,  a meeting of the committee was convened in San Francisco.  In order to keep the topic of the internment in front of the community on a regular basis, it was decided to initiate an annual Day of Remembrance.

The Manzanar Committee was starting to work on its pilgrimage and was meeting regularly.  Sue Embrey, enthusiastically, allowed some in the committee to help in preparing for the event.  Lori Higa, and Miles Hamada pitched in.  Sorry to say, I do not remember the names any others who helped.  The two of them appear with me, Paul Tsuneishi and Paul’s dad, in the photos with County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.

As we did not get started until the end of the year, we hastily made arrangements with the city to close off Central Avenue north of First Street in front of the Nishi Hongwangi Temple, and the city was good enough to provide a sizeable trailer mounted stage.

Visual Communications agreed to handle the sound.  I wrote a few letters to city officials about the event, and was successful in getting Mayor Bradley to attend.  Resolutions from the city and county commemorating the incarceration were presented

Speakers were community activist, Betty Kozasa, who was interned at Jerome, Arkansas, and Shisei Tsuneishi, Paul’s father, a Heart Mountain internee, who read haiku poetry, which he composed for the occasion.

Warren Furutani sang, a small troupe from the East West Players performed a skit, and Grace Harada concluded the afternoon’s program with her Odori instruction, which involved approximately 150.

Considering the shortened time frame and the limited number of people helping, I felt the event was quite successful.  Shortly afterward, I got a call from Alan Nishio, asking whether I would be interested in helping to put together a community redress organization.  Our fledgling group called itself the Los Angeles Coalition for Redress and Reparations (LACRR).  It later became NCRR.