Kathryn Bannai
Elaine Kim and Bill Tashima interviewed Kathryn Bannai. Kathryn Bannai was the lead counsel in Gordon Hirabayashi's coram nobis case (1983 – February 1985). Among other critical work, she successfully defeated the government's effort to dismiss Hirabayashi's case, which led to overturning Hirabayashi's convictions for resisting the curfew and exclusion orders promulgated under E.O. 9066. Bannai was Seattle JACL President in 1982 in a pivotal period for the Chapter. It was during this period that the Chapter expanded its work toward WWII Japanese American redress, aging and health issues for Issei and Nisei, and youth programming. Bannai also forged partnership with Japanese Canadians to share WWII experiences of injustice. Bannai was the only the third woman Chapter President and one of the earliest Sansei Chapter Presidents. Bannai's Board was the first Seattle JACL Board with a majority Sansei and also a majority female membership.
Interviews
1:12:49 — 13 segments.
