[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 25 (Wednesday, March 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFETIME COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY AND 
                 ACHIEVEMENTS OF CLARENCE IWAO NISHIZU

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 11, 1998

  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
Clarence Iwao Nishizu for his dedicated service to the Japanese 
American community and Orange County. Clarence grew up in Orange County 
where his family owned a farm and he is a graduate of Anaheim High 
School and Fullerton Jr. College. During World War II, all Americans of 
Japanese ancestry were interned as a result of Executive Order 9066. 
Clarence and his family were uprooted and interned at Heart Mountain, 
Wyoming. After the war, he and his family returned to Orange County and 
continued to farm with his two brothers. Due to his experience in the 
internment camps, Clarence continued to be an active citizen in Orange 
County, particularly within the Japanese American community in the 
areas of civil and human rights.
  Clarence Nishizu was Co-founder of the Orange County Chapter of the 
Japanese American Citizens' League (JACL), the oldest Asian American 
civil rights organization. He later founded four other chapters of JACL 
throughout Southern California, including the SELANOCO chapter where he 
was past president.
  In 1966, Clarence was the first Japanese American selected as the 
Foreman of the Orange County Grand Jury. In 1975, he received a special 
``Resolution of Appreciation Award'' for his meritorious service from 
the Orange County Criminal Justice Council. Clarence was also active in 
the Redress campaign by testifying before the Commission on Wartime 
Relocation and Internment of Civilians. His efforts, along with many 
other Japanese Americans eventually led to the passage of the Civil 
Liberties Act of 1988 in Congress. In 1991, the major highlights of his 
life were published in the Honorable Stephen K. Tamura Orange County 
Japanese American Oral History Project, a publication that chronicles 
the history of Japanese Americans in Orange County.
  Now, at the age of 86, Clarence Nishizu continues to actively 
participate on the board of the SELANOCO Chapter of JACL. He actively 
fundraises to promote SELANOCO's civic responsibility program, the 
Presidential Classroom scholarships, which provide opportunities for 
high school students to go to Washington, D.C. for leadership training.

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