The University of Oregon will host a dedication ceremony on May 4 for Yasui Hall, a new 144-unit, five-story residence hall named in honor of the Yasui family, whose legacy of resilience and civil rights advocacy spans four generations at the university.
One of the honored family members, Minoru Yasui, a UO alumnus and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, challenged the constitutionality of military curfews targeting Japanese Americans during World War II.
On March 28, 1942, Yasui intentionally violated the Portland curfew and demanded to be arrested in order to test the law. Though his conviction was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1943, Yasui never stopped fighting for justice. In the 1980s, with the help of attorney Peggy Nagae and others, Yasui worked to overturn his conviction, which was ultimately vacated in 1986 — just months before his death.
Now, March 28 is recognized as Minoru Yasui Day in Oregon, and his legacy lives on through the Minoru Yasui Legacy Project and continued legal and educational efforts.
The university celebration will include a public ceremony at 2 p.m. on the Living Learning Center Quad featuring remarks from UO President Karl Scholz, performances by the student taiko drumming group Ahiru Daiko and building tours.
The event will include a 7 p.m. screening of the 2017 documentary “Never Give Up” — highlighting the life and legal battle of Minoru Yasui — in the Ford Alumni Center Giustina Ballroom.
A panel discussion will follow the screening, featuring Barbara Yasui, Minoru’s niece; attorney and former assistant law school dean Nagae, who helped reopen Yasui’s case in the 1980s; and author Lauren Kessler, whose Oregon Book Award-winning biography “Stubborn Twig” explores the Yasui family’s generational story.
The hall, which opened in fall 2023, accommodates about 400 returning students in micro-studio and quad units with kitchens. It features lounges with floor-to-ceiling windows and a historical exhibit honoring four Nisei students — second-generation Japanese Americans — who overcame wartime incarceration and adversity.
“We hope Yasui Hall will be a place where friendships are forged... and students are inspired to pursue lives of service,” Lise Yasui, a family member and daughter of former UO student Robert Shu Yasui, said in a news post on the UO website.
If you go: Yasui Hall Dedication: 2-3:30 p.m. May 4; Living Learning Center Quad; 1475 E. 15th Ave. Eugene; news.uoregon.edu
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— Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiaraprofenna.
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