Inventory of the Kay Ochi Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Colleciton SPC.2021.040
Priscilla Avitia. Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress biography written by Eileen Yoshimura.
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
11/14/2022
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: 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
.
Scope and Contents
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
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 Materials
Processing Information
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.
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.
Bibliography
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
box 1, folder 1
Flyers and newspapers
November 20, 1981; January 26, 1982; February-March 1982
Scope and Contents
Includes press releases and flyers for the Day of Remembrance. Also included are
The Asian Pacific Lifeline, Publication of the Asian Pacific Student Outreach (March 1982, Vol. 3/No. 5);
Nikkei Sentinel, and Little Tokoyo People's Rights Organization and Community Progressive Alliance(Spring 1982).
box 1, folder 2
Clippings, respondents and notes
January 17, 1983; February 1983
Scope and Contents
Includes press releases and flyers for the January 19th Day of Remembrance.
box 1, folder 3
Clippings, notes, and flyers
January 8, 1983; February 19, 1984
Scope and Contents
Includes press release, flyers, and newspaper articles from the
Rafu Shimpo, Los Angeles Japanese Daily News's article Day of Remebrance to Feature Immigration Vignettes (02/1994).
box 1, folder 4
Flyers, notes, and publications
November 10, 1984; January-February 1985; September 10, 1985
Scope and Contents
Includes a copy of the L.A. Times' South Bay article, "Internees Bring Old Sorrow Day of Remembrance". Also includes flyers,
press release, and lose notes.
box 1, folder 5
Clippings and publications
February 1986
Scope and Contents
includes press releases, flyers, newspaper clippings such at the
Los Angeles Times' "Japnese Internment Held Improper by Federal Judge" (02/11/1986) and the
Pacific Citizen: National Publications of the Japanese American Citizens League (Vol. 102 No. 6/ February 14, 1968).
box 1, folder 6
Publications, reports, and notes
January 23, 1987; February 1987
Scope and Contents
Includes press releases, a tentative program for the 1987 Day of Remembrance, flyers, and loose notes.
box 1, folder 7
Flyers
February 20, 1988; March 5-6, 1988
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers and pamphlets, a letter to the President Ronald Regan in which he is asked to sign into law the Civil Liberties
Act of 1987.
box 1, folder 8
Flyers, clippings, and publications
September 2, 1988; January-February 1989
Scope and Contents
Includes press release and flyers copy of a letter to President Bush asking for him to include a Supplemental Appropriation
amount of $500 million in the FY 1989 Budget. Also included are issues of
Pacific Citizen, National Publication of the Japanese American Citizen League (Vol. 107/ No. 5; Vol. 108/ No. 7) and a biography of six camp survisors.
box 1, folder 9
Flyers and publications
December 16, 1989; January-March 1990; November 14, 1990
Scope and Contents
Includes a clipping from
The Rafu Shimpo (No. 25,993),press release, flyers, pamphlets, and meeting notes.
box 1, folder 10
Clippings and flyers
April 22, 1942; January 5, 1991; February 1991
Scope and Contents
Includes event flyers, NCRR General Meeting notes,
Rafu Shimpo, Los Angeles Japanese Daily News (February 19, 1991, No. 26,310), and a Civilian Exculsion Order No. 11 Instruction pamphlet, (April 22, 1942).
box 1, folder 11
Flyers, publications, and script
January 11, 1992; February 15, 1992
Scope and Contents
File includes flyers, pamphlets, booklets, meeting notes, and event script.
box 1, folder 12
Script, notes, and flyers
January-April 1993
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, pamphlets, event scripts, meeting notes, correspondence, and a newspaper clipping from
Rafu Shimpo, Los Angeles Japanese Newspaper (January 08, 1993 and March 16, 1993).
box 1, folder 13
Flyers, articles, and clippings
December 1, 1993; January-February 1994
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, programs, meeting notes, press releases, event scripts, correspondence, newspaper clippings from the
Rafu Shimpo, Los Angeles Japanese American Newspaper(February 22, 1994), and copies of other newspaper articles.
box 1, folder 14
Flyers, and clippings
February 1995
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, pamphlets, event script, and
The Rafu Shimpo clippings.
box 1, folder 15
Flyers, publications, and notes
January 20, 1996; February 10, 1996; July 1996
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, booklets, event's budget and expenses, meeting notes, and newspaper clippings from February 10, 1995.
box 1, folder 16
Articles, clippings, and notes
November 8, 1996; February-March 1997; May 6, 1997
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, pamphlets, correspondence, press releases, newspaper clippings such as "NCRR Honors Three in Redress Struggle."
(March 24, 1997), and copies of newspaper clippings.
box 2, folder 1
Receipts, flyers, and clippings
January-March 1998
Scope and Contents
Includes newspaper clippings from
The Rafu Shimpo, Los Angeles Japanese Daily News, Tozai Times,and others. Also includes flyers, booklets, invoices and receipts, email correspondence, and reports.
box 2, folder 2-3
Notes, letters, and programs
September-August 1997; October-November 1997; February 1998; April 1998
Scope and Contents
Includes
Tozai Times newspaper clippings, meeting notes, email correspondence, financial reports, and other newspaper clippings.
box 2, folder 4
Flyers, clippings, notes, and articles
February-March 1999; October 1999
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, meeting notes, event script, newspaper clippings from
The Rafu Shimpoand other newspapers, as well as other documents.
box 2, folder 5
Flyers, Clippings, Notes
August 1999; December 1999; January-February 2000
Scope and Contents
Includes copies of newspaper clippings, flyers, press release, and meeting notes.
box 2, folder 6-7
Flyers, notes, and clippings
October 2000-December 2000; January 2001-February 2001; April 2001; September 2001; Winter 2001
Scope and Contents
Includes newspaper clippings from
The Rafu Shimpo, flyers, email correspondence, meeting notes, event scripts and other documents.
box 2, folder 8
Notes and news clippings
December 2001; February-March 2002
Scope and Contents
Includes the news clippings from
Pacfic Citizen, National Publication of the Japanese American Citizen League (Vol. 134, No. 4), press release, and meeting notes.
box 2, folder 9
Scripts, Notes, Correspondence
October-December 2001; January-March 2002
Scope and Contents
File includes newspaper clippings, press releases, meeting notes, and email correspondence.
box 3, folder 1
Agendas, notes, and correspondences
September 30, 2002; November-December 2002; January-February 2003; August 12, 2003
Scope and Contents
Includes newspaper clippings from
The Rafu Shimpo, flyers, posters, event scripts, email correspondence, and meeting notes.
box 3, folder 2-4
Correspondence, flyers, notes, and clippings
December 2002; February 2003; September-December 2003; January-March 2004; July 2004; December 2004; January-February 2005
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence, meeting notes, event scripts, invoices, email correspondence, newspaper clippings from papers such
as
Nichi Bei Times and Japanese American Daily News, and other materials related to the Day of Remembrance.
box 3, folder 5
Clippings, flyers, notes, and respondents
February 2004; September-November 2004; December 2004;
January-Feb 2005; October 2005
Scope and Contents
Includes newspaper clippings and photocopies of the newspaper clippings from the
The Rafu Shimpo. Also included are meeting notes, flyers, pamphlets, event scripts, a letter from the United States Congress, and other documents
related to the Day of Remembrance.
box 3, folder 6
Clipping, notes, flyers, and respondents
September 2005; November-December 2005; January-February 2006; September 2006
Scope and Contents
Includes newspaper clipping from the
Pacific Citizen, The National Publication of the Japanese American Citizens League (Vol. 140, No. 11, June 17-30), flyers, email correspondents, event scripts and other materials mostly related to Mexican
American reparations.
box 4, folder 1
Flyers, notes, and respondents
November-December 2006; January-March 2007; June 6, 2007
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, meeting notes, press release, a copy of a newspaper article from
The Washington Spectator (Vol. 32 No. 21), and other material related to the Day of Remembrance.
box 4, folder 2
Flyers, notes, clippings, and respondents
August-December 2007; Winter 2008, January-March 2008
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, pamphlets, meeting notes, invoices, press releases, and event day scripts. Also includes newspaper clippings
from
The Rafu Shimpo and others.
box 4, folder 3-4
Flyers, correspondences, and clippings
July 07, 2007; May 2008; September-December 2008; January-March 2009
Scope and Contents
Includes
The Rafu Shimpo newspaper clippings, flyers, press releases, email correspondents, and other materials related to the Day of Remembrance
event.
box 4, folder 5
Flyers, notes, clippings, and repondents
January 8, 2009, April/May 2009; July-December 2009; January-March 2010; September 14, 2010; November 1, 2010
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, press releases, scripts and other documents regarding Day of Remembrance. Also includes newspapers such as
The Rafu Shimpo (No. 31,555/ Jan 18. 2010 and No. 31,557/Feb. 23, 2010).
box 4, folder 4
Flyers, clippings, notes, and respondents
March 10, 2010; September-December 2010; Winter 2011; January-February2011
Scope and Contents
File includes
Banner a newsletter of the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (Winter 2011), a copy of "California State Legislature Recognizes Day of Remembrance" form, flyers, scripts and other documents
related to the Day of Remembrance. Also includes online and newspaper articles related to Muslim Americans.
box 5, folder 1-2
Clippings, programs, letters, and correspondence
February 4, 2003; May 2008; March 2011; July 7, 2011; September-December 2011; January-March 2012; September 2012
Scope and Contents
Includes
The Rafu Shimpo (No. 31, 832), newspaper clippings, flyers, meeting agendas and notes, and email correspondents. Material includes NCRR's
collaboration with the Muslim American community.
box 5, folder 3
Notes and clippings
January 7, 2012; March 3, 2012; September-December 2012; January-February 2013; October 30, 2013; January 9, 2014; March 13,
2014
Scope and Contents
Includes mostly meeting notes, as well as flyer, press releases, and issues from the
The Rafu Shimpo.
box 5, folder 4
Flyers, scripts, and programs
February 2013
Scope and Contents
Includes pamphlets and event scripts.
box 5, folder 5
Flyers, scripts, notes, and clippings
Spring 2011; September-December 2011; January-March 2014
Scope and Contents
Includes pamphlets, meeting notes, event script, article from the
Kartika Review (Issue 9, Spring 2011), and
Pacific Citizen (#3225/Vol. 158, No. 1)
box 5, folder 6
Flyers, notes, and clippings
September-December 2014; January-April 2015
Scope and Contents
Includes pamphlets, newspaper clipping from January 25, 2015, and meeting notes.
box 5, folder 7
Publications, notes, and correspondences
December 17, 2015; February-March 2016
Scope and Contents
Includes pamphlets, meeting notes, email correspondence, and event scripts.
box 5, folder 8-9
Scripts, flyers, notes, and correspondence
October 15, 2015; March 2016; April 2016; July-December 2016; January-February2017; December 20, 2017; February 18, 2018
Scope and Contents
Includes news clippings from the
Rafu Shimpo, event sripts, flyers and pamphlets, meeting notes, and email correspondence.
box 5, folder 10
Flyers, notes, clippings, and programs
January 2017; September -October 2017; January-February 2018
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers, pamphlets, event scripts, email correspondence, event schedules, and newspaper clippings from the
Rafu Shimpo.
box 6, folder 1
Flyers, notes, clippings, and programs
February 2017; September- December 2017; January- February 2018
Scope and Contents
Includes mostly meeting agenda and notes, email correspondence, invoices, photocopies of flyers, and press releases.
box 6, folder 2-3
Flyers, notes, programs, and correspondence
September-December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; December 2019
Scope and Contents
Includes the
>Rafu Shimpo (No. 33,347/ February 23, 2019) and other news clippings, flyers, pamphlets, press releases, Day of Remembrance 2018 and
2019 programs, and event script.
box 6, folder 4-5
Clippings, notes, flyers, and correspondence
September-December 2019; January-February 2020; March 26, 2020
Scope and Contents
Includes newspaper clippings from the
Rafu Shimpo, statement from Senator Maizie Hirono, meeting agendas and notes, event script, flyers and booklets, press releases, and a
list of community organizations.
case 3, drawer 8, folder 1-2
Day of Remebrance posters
1982; 1984-1985; 1992; 1993; 1995; 1997-2000; 2008
case 3, drawer 8, folder 1
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress 10th anniversary poster, August 1989 protest poster, and Stand Up for Justice poster
August 5, 1989; 1990; 2004
