Jim Matsuoka Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Records SPC.2020.019
Jennifer Hill. Biography for NCRR and Jim Matsuoka written by Eileen Yoshimura.
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
2020-03-04
University Library South -5039 (Fifth Floor)
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson, CA 90747
Business Number: 310-243-3895
archives@csudh.edu
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
.
Preferred Citation
Conditions Governing Access
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Scope and Contents
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.
Processing Information
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 Biography
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.
Related Materials
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Related Materials
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.
Separated Materials
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
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress
1979-2019
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress includes internal documents, flyers, booklets, agendas, newsletters, and other documents.
Processing Information
The material was originally stored in binders, which have been disassembled for preservation purposes.
box 1, folder 1-2
NCRR
1979-1981
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
1980, 1979, and NCRR.
Scope and Contents
Includes news clippings, flyers, booklets, and other documents related to NCRR and redress.
box 1, folder 3-6
NCRR
1981
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder.
Scope and Contents
Includes copied news clippings, letters, Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians documents, flyers, memos,
Witness Preparation Information packets, and internal agreements.
box 1, folder 7-10
NCRR 1982
1982
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
1982 and Steering Comm.
Scope and Contents
Includes financial reports, copied news clippings, letters, flyers, Steering Committee notes, and other documents related
to NCRR.
box 2, folder 1-5
NCRR 1983-1985
1983-1985
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
1985, 1984 1 of 2, 1984 2 of 2, 1983 1 of 2 and 1983 2 of 2.
Scope and Contents
Includes copied news clippings, flyers, booklets, letters, articles, financial information, and other documents related to
NCRR.
box 2, folder 6-11
NCRR 1986-89
1986-1989
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
1989, 1988, 1986, 1987 1 of 2, 1987 2 of 2, and 1986 1 of 1.
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers news clippings, programs, letters, memos, booklets, bulletins, and other documents related to NCRR.
Folder 10 and Folder 11 include bulletins, correspndence to letterwriters, and reproduced newspaper articles related to the
Hopi and Navajo peoples, and the Big Mountain (J.U.A.) Legal Defense/Offense Committee. Also included is BMLDOC Newsletter
#5, July 1986.
box 3, folder 1-7
NCRR 1990-96
1990-1996
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, and 1990.
Scope and Contents
Includes news clippings, Day of Remembrance booklets, booklets, letters, mission statements, bylaws, and other documents.
box 3, folder 8-13
NCRR 1997-1999
1997-1999
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
1999, 1998, 1997.
Scope and Contents
Includes meeting agendas, flyers, booklets, first draft chronology for
Speaking Out for Justice video, meeting agendas, copied newspaper clippings, booklets, and other documents.
box 4, folder 1-7
NCRR 2000-06
2000-2006
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000.
Scope and Contents
Includes meeting agendas, pamphlets, flyers, material for the video
Stand Up for Justice, Banner newsletter, Day of Remembrance material, and other material.
box 4, folder 8-16
NCRR 2007-
2007-2015
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007.
Scope and Contents
Includes meeting agendas, funeral service booklets, Banner newsletters, copied newspaper clippings, Day of Remembrance booklets,
flyers, booklets, and other material.
box 5, folder 1
NCRR
2016-2019
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder.
Scope and Contents
Includes general meeting agendas, flyers, booklets, and Crosscurrent newsmagazine, Banner newsletters, Day of Remembrance
booklets, and other material.
box 5, folder 2-4
NCRR Banners
June 1981-2018
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder.
Scope and Contents
Includes day of Remembrance flyers, postcards, and Banner, a newsletter of the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (July 1981-2016).
Subject Material
1967-2017
Scope and Contents
This series includes several subjects including Japanese Americans, incarceration camps, Japanese Latin Americans, Little
Tokyo, Kijama, and Little Tokyo's People's Rights Organization.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by subject.
Processing Information
The material was originally stored in binders, which have been disassembled for preservation purposes.
box 6, folder 1-3
Little Tokyo Redevelopment
May 15, 1970-June 1973
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder.
Scope and Contents
Includes booklet titled: Redevelopment of Little Tokyo, 1970 - A Progress Report, Little Tokyo newsletter published by Mayor's
Little Tokyo Community Development Advisory Committee (Vol. 1, No. 1, 3-5; Vol. 2, No. 1, 2; Vol. 3, No. 1-3; Vol. 4, No.
1), Little Tokyo Magazine (Vol. 1, No. 1; Vol. 2, No. 1-2; Vol. 3, No. 3), Komochi Newsletter (Vol. 2, Issue 6), One Year
of Struggle "United, Together, We'll Never be Defeated by Committee against Nihonmachi Eviction, Cane Newsletter, Committee
Against Nihonmachi Eviction" (Vol. 2, No. 2) and other material.
box 6, folder 5-6
LTPRO
1974-1977
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder.
Scope and Contents
Includes LTPRO News (Vol. 1, No. 1), The San Francisco Journal (Vol. 2, No. 4), copied news clippings, staments, and other
material.
box 6, folder 6
LT
circa 1987-2007
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder.
Scope and Contents
Includes copies news clippings and notes.
box 6, folder 7-11
Kajima
1967-2007
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
Kaijima 1-4, Kaijima 2-4, Kaijima 3-4, and Kaijima 4-4.
Scope and Contents
Includes newspapers, newsclippings, articles, letters, reports, and other material.
box 7, folder 1-14
Camps Misc
July 1981-2013
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
Redress Survey, 442nd/MIS, Evac Claims Act, Coram Nobis, Loss Est., Children's Village, Alieut/Probilof, Canadian Nikkei,
Draft Resisters, Cal Lutheran, Opposition, Tule Lake, Big Mountain, and Ralph Lazo
Scope and Contents
Includes copied newsclippings, notes, budget information, thesis titled: The Internment of Japanese by the United States government
1942-1945, Redress legislation, Fair Play Committee Bulletins, Draft Resistance at Heart Mountain Concentration Camp and Fair
Play Committee summary by Frank Emi, booklets, schedules, letters, statements, Big Mountain legal update, and other material.
box 7, folder 15-21
Camps Vol. II
1989-1996
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. The tabs in the binder read:
Dachau, Oasao, NCRR Outreach, Gripsolm, Lobby Wash DC., and Redress Bills.
Scope and Contents
Includes fluers copied news clippings, newsletters, Delegation planninng tasks, notes, copied book chapters, drafts, letters,
bills, HR442, Civil Liberties Act of 1988, and other material.
box 8, folder 1-5
ASAM
1969-2011; undated
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. Tab 2 of 3 in the binder read:
The "Movement."
Scope and Contents
Includes newsletters, copied news clippings, letters, flyers, booklets, and other material.
box 8, folder 6-7
Japn Latin Americans
circa 1984-2009
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder. Tab 2 of 2 read: Latin America.
Scope and Contents
Includes Campain for Justice newsletters and flyers, copied news articles, news clippings and other material.
box 8, folder 8-9
JPN History
circa 1970-1990; undated
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder.
Scope and Contents
Includes news clippings, copied news clippings, census information, handwritten notes, interviews, outline of 100 years of
Japanese labor in the US by Karl G. Yonega and other material.
box 8, folder 8-10
Japn Am Misc
circa 1983-2017
Processing Information
The original binder was disassembled for preservation purposes. The title is from the binder.
Scope and Contents
Includes copied new clippings, newsletters, and other material.
Publications
1969-April 27, 2019
Arrangement
This series is arranged by date.
Scope and Contents
This series contains publications with various subjects. The subjects include incarceration camps, the Manzanar incarceration
camp, and Redress.
box 9, folder 1
"The Japanese of Los Angeles"
1969
box 9, folder 2
"Amersia Journal"
July 1971, February 1972
Scope and Contents
Vol. 1, No. 2 and 4.
box 9, folder 3
"The Lost Years 1942-1946"
1972
box 9, folder 4
"The World War II Incarceration of Japanese Americans and the Struggle for Reparations/Redress"
November 1980
box 9, folder 5
"The Manzanar Pilgrimage - A Time for Sharing"
1981
box 9, folder 6
"Democracy Betrayed, the Case of Redress"
November 21, 1984
box 9, folder 7
"Redress: The American Promise"
1986
box 9, folder 8-10
"Nanka Nikkei Voices"
May 29, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2010
Scope and Contents
Includes 1998 and Vol. 2-4.
box 9, folder 11
"Reflections in Three Self-Guided Tours of Manzanar"
1998
box 9, folder 12
"The Manzanar Committee - Keep it Going, Pass it On"
2004
box 9, folder 13
Annual Mazanar Pilgrimage booklets
April 25, 2015-April 27, 2019
Scope and Contents
46th, 48th, and 50th annual booklets.
box 10, folder 1
"Stand Up for Justice the Ralph Lazo Story" teacher's guide secondary level
2007
Material Specific Details: Includes 1 DVD.
