Collection Guide
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Matsuoka, (Jim) Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Records
SPC.2020.019
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Jim Matsuoka Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Records
Creator:
Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress
Creator:
Matsuoka, Jim
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2020.019
Physical Description:
10 boxes
Physical Description:
4.17 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1967-April 27, 2019
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.
Language of Material:
English
.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated by Jim Matsuoka in 2020.
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.
This collection was processed by Jennifer Hill and Susmita Patange in 2020.
Historical Note for Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress
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.
This collection is part of the California State University Japanese American Digitization Project. For more information:
CSU Japanese American Digitization Project.
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Related Materials
For other materials related to Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress, please consult the
Roy Nakano Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress
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.
The collection includes several books, which have been separated from the collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Reparations for historical injustices
Japanese Americans -- Civil rights
Japanese Americans -- Reparations
Civil rights
World War, 1939-1945 -- Japanese Americans
Little Tokyo (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Japanese Americans -- Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Concentration Camps -- United States
- Collection Overview
-
Collection Details
- Preferred Citation
- Conditions Governing Access
- Conditions Governing Use
- Immediate Source of Acquisition
- Scope and Contents
- Processing Information
- Historical Note for Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress
- Jim Matsuoka Biography
- Related Materials
- Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Related Materials
- Arrangement
- Separated Materials