Dr. Clifford Uyeda

Dr. Clifford Uyeda

Dr. Clifford Uyeda was a man who would not tolerate any injustice done to people, regardless of race or affiliation. Some said that he had the look of a conservative university professor, but the soul of a rebel. Because of this, he wouldn't let the Japanese or the Americans get away with what they did in World War 2. He was a man who wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

He was born in Olympia, Washington in 1917. During the Korean War, he served as a US Army doctor. He then moved to San Francisco to work as a pediatrician from 1953 to 1975. Dr. Uyeda was married twice, one wife died before him, the other outlived him. He died July 30, 2004 in his San Francisco home from cancer.

Dr. Clifford Uyeda had many important accomplishments in his life. He was the president of the Japanese American Citizens League and the head of the National Japanese American Historical Society. In 1988, Dr. Uyeda helped found the Rape of Nanking Redress Committe. This Committe raised awareness of Japanese military atrocities committed during WWII. One of his biggest fights was against the Japanese internment camps that imprisoned Japanese-Americans during World War 2. He believed these camps were unconstitutional and he led the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. This was a formal apology from the government and included $20,000 in monetary compensation for each surviving internee that was imprisoned in the camps. He then later publicized stories of Japanese Americans who resisted the WWII draft because of the Japanese internment camps. Those that resisted the draft were imprisoned for an average of 2 years for their acts. Dr. Clifford Uyeda emphasized similarities between American internment camps and Nazi Germany's death camps. He stated:"You were there for only one reason, not for having committed any crime, but for your ancestry."

Dr. Clifford Uyeda was a man that would stand up to those who caused harm or allowed harm to happen to people. One example is the Japanese American Citizens League. He eventually became one of its largest critics, the very same league that he had been president of before. The reason for this is the league's inability to recognize internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. He had criticized the acts of both America and Japan during WWII. He had criticized both his homeland and his native land without hesitation or bias towards either one. This shows how much power that his character possesed and he inspired many people to join him in his fight against injustice.

Dr. Uyeda is an important person in history. He has helped those who had received unconstitutional punishment from their own government. He critized an organization in which he used to lead. He fought against his own native country for their acts in WWII. Dr. Uyeda was unbiased in his critcism. Dr. Uyeda was a man who wasn't afraid to speak his mind and he will be missed dearly.