NCRR will miss Tom Hayashi

Tom Hayashi joined NCRR recently but with a great deal of energy.  It seemed as if he just appeared out of nowhere but in reality, Tom had been speaking out for justice his whole life.  It is not surprising that Tom brought up issues around Black reparations and pushed to include Mexican repatriation as the theme for the next Day of Remembrance.  He worked with Black and Latino youth and other minorities for much of his life.  Tom’s first job was working with gang members as part of the staff of the Catholic Youth Organization and later with inmates at the California Youth Authority.  He not only directed a community center in Watts, Tom also was a primary force in saving the Watts Towers. He also contributed to the East L.A. Community Service Organization and the Central City Action Committee.  Tom did not talk about himself so many of us learned these things from people who spoke about him at his service in December.  He had just attended the Day of Remembrance meeting a few days before he suddenly passed away.  NCRR will miss his smile, his energy and his support.