Dear Family, Friends & Fellow Social Justice Advocates,

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2025 is a special year for Oregonians – as well as all those who seek social justice. It will be the 10th Anniversary of Minoru Yasui receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian award for his lifetime work of fighting for human and civil rights. Yasui continues to be the only Oregonian to have been bestowed the award. The Minoru Yasui Legacy Project (MYLP) will highlight this honor at our annual program in April. 

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In the spirit of Minoru Yasui, the MYLP continues to fight for civil and human rights, especially among diverse populations across our nation. We believe we must strengthen the power of our voices through uniting with others who also seek Justice for All. In Yasui’s own words,“What is done to the least of us, can be done to all of us.”  We must speak out.

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With the Japanese American Museum of Oregon and other partners, we are planning multiple events to honor and inspire activists, artists, educators, future leaders, and others to follow in Yasui’s footsteps.

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• MYLP will host our annual program on Saturday April 5th with the theme of human rights activism that inspires. We will honor social justice activists from our community partners.

• We will inspire student activism through the Minoru Yasui Art Contest submissions and awards.  

• We have contributed to the Oregon Historical Society yearlong cornerstone exhibit featuring the Yasui Family Legacy, which will open in June of 2025.   

• The University of Oregon Board of Trustees has named a new residence hall in honor of the Yasui family and will have a dedication in June of 2025.

• The University of Oregon Law School’s Minoru Yasui Fellow works to have students learn more about Yasui’s legacy of social justice.   

 

We ask that you support our efforts with a special 10th Anniversary donation. We hope to raise $10,000 to increase our educational efforts, our social media presence, and our outreach to broader audiences. In awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Yasui, posthumously, President Barack Obama, “Minoru Yasui was a civil and human rights leader known for his continuous defense of the ideals of democracy embodied in our Constitution . . . Yasui spent his life fighting for the human and civil rights of all people.” With your support we will expand that fight.

 

We ask you to open your hearts to spread our mission, open your hands to help as a volunteer, and open your wallets to help support the events and outreach in your communities so that we and other activists can carry our fight for justice forward. Please consider donating your time and treasures as highlighted on the enclosed page.