Jim Matsuoka Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Records, 1967-April 27, 2019

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Summary

Creators:
Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress and Matsuoka, Jim
Abstract:
This collection includes flyers, newspaper clippings, organizational documents, agendas, publications, books, and other materials related to the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR) organization, formally known as the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations, and one of its founding members, Jim Matsuoka. It also includes material related to the Little Tokyo People's Rights Organization (LTPRO), Japanese Americans, Japanese Latin Americans, Little Tokyo, and incarceration camps.
Extent:
10 boxes and 4.17 Linear Feet
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

For information about citing archival material, see the Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.

Background

Scope and content:

Jim Matsuoka Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Records (1979-2019) contains 4.17 linear feet of news clippings, flyers, booklets, publications, agendas, organization documents, publications, books, and other material related to the organization, Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR), formally known as National Coalition for Redress and Reparations. The material was arranged by one of the founding members, Jim Matsuoka. It includes organizational documents, such as flyers and conference information for events, meeting agendas, booklets, and the NCRR's newsletter, Banner. Also included in the collection are news clippings, event flyers, letters, statements, booklets, and other materials related to Japanese Americans, Japanese Latin Americans, incarceration camps, Little Tokyo, as well as material from the Little Tokyo People's Rights Organization (LTPRO), founded in 1973.

Biographical / historical:

NCRR (Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress) emerged as a grassroots movement in 1980, fighting for redress and reparations for Nikkei (Japanese Americans) incarcerated during World War II. Founded by Japanese Americans from across the country, NCRR was first known as the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations. The non-profit organization worked to bring the community together to seek justice for the thousands of Nikkei deprived of their civil rights during World War II. NCRR played a pivotal role in helping former Nikkei incarcerees to testify at the 1981 hearings before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC), a Congress-appointed group charged with conducting an official study of the wartime incarceration of Nikkei. NCRR worked together with other Nikkei organizations, individuals, and Congress members towards enacting the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 that granted reparations. They also fought to ensure that redress was implemented and campaigned for those that were denied the reparations.

In 2000, the Los Angeles Chapter updated its name to Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress to reflect its ongoing mission. Among the many projects it has undertaken, with the help of grants through the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund (CLPEF), NCRR made available on video, "Speak Out for Justice," the 1981 CWRIC hearings held in Los Angeles. In 2004, NCRR released "Stand Up for Justice," an educational short film of Ralph Lazo, who accompanied his incarcerated Nikkei friends during World War II. In February 2020, NCRR co-chaired and presented in partnership with other organizations the Day of Remembrance 2020, held annually in remembrance of Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans. Today, the organization continues to engage in similar campaigns against injustice and educate the public on wartime injustices.

Jim Matsuoka got his start with the redress movement in the 1970s when he and others founded the Los Angeles Community Coalition on Redress and Reparations (LACCRR), which laid the groundwork for the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations (NCRR). The NCRR, which was later renamed, Nikkei Civil Rights & Redress, lobbied Congress for redress and testified before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) hearings held in 1981. When the acting chair indicated they were out of time and asked that their testimonies instead be submitted in writing, Jim pounded the table and declared that he would not be silenced.

Born Haruyuki Matsuoka, Jim was born in 1935 in Los Angeles, California, to Toichi and Hatsuyo, first-generation Issei from Hiroshima, Japan. At the age of six, he and his family were incarcerated in Manzanar during World War II. After the war, he served in the U.S. Army and later earned both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Social Sciences from California State University, Long Beach. He worked in the aerospace industry and served as a union representative for ten years. In addition to NCRR, Jim was active in other organizations, including the Little Tokyo People's Rights Organization (LTPRO) and the Los Angeles Pioneer Project. Jim has been recognized for his community activism, such as the 2019 Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated by Jim Matsuoka in 2020.
Processing information:

This collection was processed by Jennifer Hill and Susmita Patange in 2020.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in three series: Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress, Subject Material, and Publications.

Material in this collection was kept in the original order.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing archival material, see the Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.

Location of this collection:
University Library, 5th Flr (5039)
1000 E. Victoria Street
Carson, CA 90747, US
Contact:
(310) 243-3895
archives@csudh.edu
Website