PORTLAND — On March 28, from 1-3 p.m., the Minoru Yasui Legacy Project (MYLP), the Japanese American Musuem of Oregon (JAMO), and the Oregon Historical Society (OHS) invite the public to commemorate the legacy of Minoru Yasui and the 10th anniversary of Oregon’s designation in perpetuity as Minoru Yasui Day at a public program at the OHS in downtown Portland.
On March 28, 1942, Minoru “Min” Yasui walked into the streets of Portland and deliberately defied an unjust wartime military order targeting people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. His courageous stand against Executive Order 9066 — which led to the incarceration of more than 125,000 people — cost him his freedom, including a year in solitary confinement at the Multnomah County Jail, and resulted in a historic case before the United States Supreme Court.
Born in Hood River, where he grew up on his family’s fruit farm, Min became the first Japanese American to pass the Oregon bar and practice law in Portland. After his release from the Minidoka concentration camp, Min relocated to Denver and spent decades as a civil rights leader advocating for equity and the rights of marginalized communities. Min never stopped fighting.
On Nov. 15, 2015, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Min the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling his life “a reminder of the power of one voice echoing for justice.” In 2016, the Oregon Legislature designated March 28 as Minoru Yasui Day to honor his extraordinary act of protest, and his lifelong commitment to defending human and civil rights — and justice for all.
The year 2026 also marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, rooted in the principle of no kings and the enduring belief that power belongs to the people.
Together, these anniversaries invite reflection and renewal. The program will explore contested narratives in history, education, and civic life through honored speakers and historical context, lifting up voice of the past and present as we recommit to preserving democracy, safeguarding civil rights and civil liberties, and advancing justice for all.
This year’s Minoru Yasui Day will also feature the announcement of the Minoru Yasui Student Art Contest winners, celebrating youth from across the country whose creative work responds to this year’s theme, “Upholding the Rule of Law: What does seeking justice for all look like?” Artwork from past contestants is also featured in OHS’s exhibition, “The Yasui Family: An American Story.”
At a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, as we reflect on the enduring words that “all men are created equal” and are endowed with inalienable rights, we ask: What would Min do? How do we preserve our freedoms and protect our democracy? Minoru Yasui’s life reminds us that when we stand firmly for constitutional principles, we strengthen the rights of the people and the promise of democracy. Today, we continue that work — standing for equity, justice, and the values that define us as a nation.
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