I don't think people need to be inspired. I think there are plenty of people that seek a legal education. It's how you use that education and I would just encourage them beyond making money. I think that's important and becoming successful. You need to, as an organization or as an individual, find ways to support individuals in the community. I think the approach that I mentioned earlier about, you know, working with the Mexican Bar, the Black Bar, the Chinese Bar, you know it's - in everyone's family, we're all Chop Suey, you know. We have part Mexican, part... you name it, you know. And so, just as a family or as a community we have to be able to create all these alliances. One of the things I'm very proud about the Manzanar committee, we've been one of the first out there supporting the Muslim community, they all, representatives attend our pilgrimages and that we've reached out to them and that, that whatever happened to us would not happen to others.
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association
Interviewee Bio
Rose Matsui Ochi was born in East Los Angeles, California on December 15, 1938. Following the outbreak of World War II, young Ms. Ochi’s family was rounded up to live in the horse stables of the Santa Anita racetracks before being railroaded to Rohwer, one of America’s concentration camps for Japanese Americans at the time. Upon release, her parents were subjected to deportation, but were rescued by civil rights lawyers. Her family’s tragic experience taught her about injustices and about the power to right wrongs.
In order to fight for rights and social justice, Ms. Ochi decided to go into law. After earning a B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles and M.S. from California State University, Los Angeles, she earned a J.D. from Loyola Law School. She began her career as a ‘Reggie’, a poverty lawyer, at U.S.C. Western Center on Law and Poverty and served as the co-counsel of record in Serrano v. Priest, the landmark educational law reform case. Ms. Ochi has since served on the state bar and Legal Services Commission, has worked as a Disciplinary Referee, and was the first AA Board of Trustees member for the LA County Bar Association.
Recently, she helped to rescue Tuna Canyon WWII Detention Camp by getting Council approval for Historic Designation. She passed away in December 2020. (December 2020)