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(Ochi), Kay Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Collection
SPC.2021.040
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Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Kay Ochi Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Collection
Creator:
Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2021.040
Physical Description:
6 boxes
Physical Description:
5.62 Linear Feet
includes four oversized folders
Date (inclusive): November 20, 1981-March 26, 2020
Abstract: This collection includes flyers, pamphlets, meeting notes, press releases, correspondence, Rafu Shimpo newspaper clippings,
posters, and event scripts for the Day of Remembrance events (DOR) organized by the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR),
formally known as the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations. It also includes materials related to Japanese Americans,
Japanese Latin Americans, Little Tokyo, incarceration camps, Mexican Americans, and Muslim Americans.
Language of Material:
English
.
Kay Ochi Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (1982-2020) contains 5.62 linear feet of newspaper clippings, flyers, press releases,
publications, correspondence, posters, meeting notes, agendas, scripts, posters, and other material related to the organization,
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR), formally known as National Coalition for Redress and Reparations. Most of the
material is regarding the annual Day of Remembrance (DOR) organized by one of the NCRR's co-chairs, Kay Ochi. The DOR was
created to educate the public about the 1942 Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the forced removal and
incarceration of nearly 120, 000 Japanese Americans in World War II. It also includes materials related to Japanese Americans,
Japanese Latin Americans, Little Tokyo, incarceration camps, Mexican Americans, and Muslim Americans. Since Ochi was part
of the committee that organized the DOR, much of the collection consists of event scripts, email correspondence mostly between
other committee members and Ochi, and other material related to the organization and Day of Remembrance events.
Processing Information for Digitized Material
The Gerth Archives and Special Collections created digital reproductions from the original material for long-term preservation
and access. These preservation files were scanned to and stored on the Gerth Archives and Special Collections Deparment Drive.
For more information on the best practices and standards for the digitization process, please see:
CSU Japanese American Digitization Project technical reference guide.
Availability of Digitized Materials
Some of the collection has been digitized and is available at the CSU Japanese American Project site:
Kay Ochi Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Kay Ochi donated this collection to the Gerth Archives in 2021 and donated additional material in 2022.
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Related Material
Related Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Collections include:
Jim Matsuoka Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress and
Roy Nakano Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress.
This collection is part of the California State University Japanese American Digitization Project. For more information:
CSU Japanese American Digitization Project.
Collection processed by Amirul Yusuf in 2021 and Priscilla Avitia in 2022.
Biographical note for Kay Ochi
Kozuye Kay Ochi was born and raised in San Diego County, California soon after her parents left the Poston, Arizona incarceration
camp in the 1940s. In the 1950s Kay, her parents, and three sisters moved to Chula Vista, California. After getting her Bachelor's
in English and a minor in art at California Western University 1968, she attended UCLA to get her teaching credentials. It
was during her time in Los Angeles, that Ochi began to become involved in civil liberties and their rallies. The large Japanese
American population in Los Angeles lead her to the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR), formally known as the National
Coalition for Redress and Reparations. As a teacher, Ochi became involved with United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) where
she served as the chapter's chair.
Ochi officially joined the NCRR in 1981 as a young activist. She spent the early years doing outreach or writing press releases
and making press kits. NCRR's work would lead them to Washington D.C., where they met congressional members to speak of wartime
incarceration. Kay worked on lobbying and organizing teams and in the late 1980s, Jim Matsuoka encouraged her to run for the
NCRR presidency. As of 2020, Ochi has served as Co-Chair alongside Kathy Masaoka and Richard Katsud. They, along with the
other officers, serve as the main organizers for NCRR and their events, such as the annual Day of Remembrance.
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.
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.
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress and Lane Ryo Hirabayashi. 2018. Ncrr : The Grassroots Struggle for Japanese American Redress
and Reparations. Los Angeles CA: UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press.
Ochi, Kay. "Kay Ochi Interview." By Emi Kuboyama. Office of Redress Administration (ORA) Oral History Project Collection.
2020-01-24. https://ddr.densho.org/media/ddr-densho-1020/ddr-densho-1020-10-transcript-9869a9aa1a.htm
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Japanese Americans -- Reparations
Reparations for historical injustices
Japanese Americans -- Civil rights
Japanese American newspapers
Civil rights
- Collection Overview
-
Collection Details
- Scope and Contents
- Processing Information for Digitized Material
- Availability of Digitized Materials
- Immediate Source of Acquisition
- Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Related Material
- Related Materials
- Processing Information
- Biographical note for Kay Ochi
- Historical Note for Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress
- Preferred Citation
- Conditions Governing Access
- Conditions Governing Use
- Bibliography