[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11222]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                 REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF GRAYCE UYEHARA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 30, 2014

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Grayce 
Uyehara who was instrumental in securing redress for the Japanese 
Americans incarcerated during the Second World War.
  Born Grayce Kaneda on July 4, 1919, in Stockton, California, Uyehara 
and her family were incarcerated at the Stockton Assembly Center and 
the Rohwer Relocation Center. A leader in the Japanese American 
community, Uyehara served in leadership positions at all levels of the 
Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), including as president of the 
Philadelphia chapter and governor of the Eastern District Council, in 
addition to service on national JACL committees.
  In 1985, Uyehara was appointed as the executive of the JACL 
Legislative Education Committee, which was established to advocate for 
the final phases of the redress campaign. Uyehara was a catalyzing 
force in organizing participation of the community across the nation. 
During the push for final passage of the Civil Liberties Act, Uyehara 
mobilized a grassroots campaign through her Action Alerts and inundated 
the White House with letters of support. The Japanese American 
community celebrated on August 10, 1988, when President Ronald Reagan 
signed the Civil Liberties Act into law, which formally apologized for 
the violations of the civil liberties and constitutional rights of 
Japanese Americans and issued monetary reparations.
  Uyehara's spirit, activism, and drive served and continue to serve as 
a model of leadership for succeeding generations of Japanese Americans. 
I was honored to work with her on the passage of redress and I 
celebrate her many achievements.

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