Edmonton sociologist Gordon Hirabayashi, who died in January at 93, was recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded posthumously by U.S. President Barack Obama in May at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Hirabayashi was honoured for his fight against the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Hirabayashi was a university student when he refused a 1942 order to report for transfer to an internment camp in the months following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour. He spent more than a year in prison as a result of his protest. His conviction was overturned in 1986, and, in 1999, the area once occupied by the Arizona prison where Hirabayashi served out his sentence was renamed in his honour.
"He waited a long time to have his stand for justice vindicated in the courts-over 40 years," his son Jay Hirabayashi, '73 BA, told the Edmonton Journal. "It's very significant for us that President Obama was thoughtful and considerate enough to recognize what my dad did to contribute to the civil rights movement."
The medal is given for contributions to American national interest, world peace and cultural endeavours. This year, Hirabayashi was one of 13 recipients, including singer Bob Dylan, novelist Toni Morrison and pioneer astronaut John Glenn.
We at New Trail welcome your comments. Robust debate and criticism are encouraged, provided it is respectful. We reserve the right to reject comments, images or links that attack ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation; that include offensive language, threats, spam; are fraudulent or defamatory; infringe on copyright or trademarks; and that just generally aren’t very nice. Discussion is monitored and violation of these guidelines will result in comments being disabled.