‘Historic steps have a new purpose’: Yasui Memorial event happens Wednesday

“We will dedicate the Minoru Yasui Legacy Garden, which now surrounds the legacy stone located on the north library lawn at the top of the ‘steps to nowhere,’” Yasui wrote in her recent Hood River News column.

The event will also include the presentation of the second annual award to a local youth who embodies Minoru Yasui’s fight for justice; the 2017 winner was Ami Santillan.

The “steps to nowhere” are the only remnants of the Smith mansion that sat on the hill in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Until this winter, the Smith steps stopped at the end of the lawn. Now, the steps take visitors to the Yasui Memorial, designed by Sadafumi Uchiyama and constructed in recent weeks. The memorial is also visible from the sidewalk.

The stone itself was dedicated in October 2016 at the library and has rested in place for a year. In late February, the crew of JJ Castro Construction put down pavers and built a retaining wall around the stone, and later this spring will add plantings.

“Those historic steps have a new purpose in life, leading to a special place where people can reflect on the need to treat all people with respect and dignity, in perpetuity,” Maija Yasui wrote.

“Minoru’s journey started right here in Hood River as a young lawyer seeking equality for his Japanese family and community. It continued over the next half century, touching people of every race, ethnicity, gender and faith.

“On March 28, the day the Oregon Legislature designated Minoru Yasui Day in perpetuity, we will reflect on the struggle to achieve civil rights for all and the need for every generation to work towards this monumental goal.”