Kay Ochi Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Collection

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.

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.