The 1950-52 California court case Haruye Masaoka v. California (39 Cal 2nd 883) was the final victory in a series of postwar legal cases by Japanese Americans in California courts that led to the demise of the state’s established Alien Land Act.
Southern California Nisei writer of short stories Hisaye Yamamoto (1921–2011) was among the first Japanese American writers to win national renown after World War II.
A leading Nisei activist in the 1940s, Ina Sugihara (1919–2004) was a frequent contributor to the press, both Japanese American and outside, and built coalitions for civil rights across racial lines.
Award-winning poet, dancer, activist and educator Janice Mirikitani (1942–2021) was internationally known and respected for her life-long commitment to addressing the horrors of war and for advocating against institutional racism and the enslavement of women and the poor.
Singer known as the “Songbird of Manzanar.”
Mary “Mollie” Oyama Mittwer (1907–1994) was a Nisei journalist whose writing reflected many of the issues her generation faced during World War II.
Singer and showgirl best known for her comedic role as Minnie Ho in The World of Suzie Wong on Broadway.
Mary Tsukamoto (1915–98), a longtime educator and cultural historian, became an author and leading advocate of redress for Japanese Americans removed during World War II.
Lieutenant governor of Hawai’i, 1979–83.
Artist and musician