On Sunday, the University of Oregon will name one of its residence halls in honor of the Yasui family. The building on Agate street will bear the name of the Japanese American family whose attendance at UO goes back four generations.
Members of the Yasui family first attended the university in the late 1930s and 1940s, but faced forced relocation and curfews during World War II. UO alumni from the Yasui family include notable figures like Minoru Yasui and Michi Yasui Ando.
Minoru Yasui was a lawyer who challenged the constitutionality of curfews put on Japanese Americans during World War II. He took his case up to the Supreme Court. In 2015, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his advocacy work.
Michi Yasui Ando was a Denver public school teacher who never got to attend her 1942 graduation ceremony due to the curfews. She finally received her diploma in 1986 when UO invited her back to be the commencement speaker.
According to UO official Kevin Hatfield, the naming is more than just a way of honoring their work.
“I think what the University of Oregon wants to do with the naming of a building is it's not meant to be a tokenistic gesture,” said Hatfield. “It's meant to be a way that we have a physical space that bears the name. But it's also relational. It's a relationship that we have with the family.”
Forty members of the Yasui family are expected to attend the naming ceremony. The residence hall will have a permanent exhibit on the first floor dedicated to the Yasuis and their family history.
