Michi Weglyn, author of Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America's Concentration Camps, was interned at Gila, Arizona when she was 15. In 1944, she left camp to attend college. She later studied fashion design in New York and designed costumes there until she retired in 1966. In 1967, she was encouraged by her Holocaust survivor husband Walter Weglyn, to begin research on Japanese American internment. She spent eight years digging through files at the National Archives, New York public libraries, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. Her 1976 book showed through government documents that political and military leaders knew the Japanese American internment was unjustified, but went ahead anyway. Kathy Masaoka , NCRR, said Years of Infamy “exposed the truth about the government's involvement” and helped launch the grassroots movement that led to redress. Weglyn continues her research at the National Archives to help those still denied redress. She uncovered evidence that the government and the railroad companies had a liasion established in May 1941 which led to the firings of Nikkei railroad and mine workers right after Pearl Harbor. Weglyn said that the kidnapped Japanese Latin Americans who were held hostage for prisoner exchanges, and the fired railroad and mine workers “should be compensated and apologized to for the monstrous violation of their rights.” Kay Ochi, NCRR, said, “Her weapons have been her pen, her library card, her devotion to justice and her passion to reveal the truth.” For her dedication to uncover the truth and help those still denied redress, NCRR awards Michi Weglyn the Fighting Spirit Award!