Edison Uno

Uno was born in Los Angeles in 1929 into a family of 11. As a young man, he was forced from his home during the World War II after Executive Order 9066 was signed. Uno was incarcerated at the Granada War Relocation Center in Colorado, then subsequently transferred to the Crystal City internment camp. He stayed at the internment camp even after the war was over, and he was told that he was the last American citizen to be released, after 1,647 days in prison. After Uno returned to Los Angeles, he became the youngest chapter president of JACL in 1950. Uno's father, George Kumemaro was a first generation immigrant who arrived in America at the age of 19. Like many of those who came to America seeking new freedoms and opportunities, Kumemaro often took various forms of employment as a means of subsisting his growing family. First working at a nursery, and later on railroad construction in Nevada, California, and Utah, Uno's father was unable to provide for the complete needs of his family. == Wartime detention ==

In 1942, the economic concerns of Uno's family were compounded when Uno's father was apprehended by the FBI; with George Kumemaro being subsequently held in detention centers in North Dakota, New Mexico, and Texas. Transferred to the Grenada Relocation center, and later to the Crystal City Internment Camp, Uno reunited with his father in the fall of 1942. Although four of Uno's brothers volunteered for military service, all returned from the war without injury. While Uno's father was one of the last to leave the Crystal City Internment Camp in Texas, Uno himself was one of the last Nisei to be released. Having been held in internment camps for four and a half years, and having lost almost all personal possessions during the war, Uno's family was forced to start their lives anew in 1945–6. Although he eventually returned to Los Angeles, this period of imprisonment and relocation had a profound effect on his life that he would never forget. Quoted later from his introduction to Executive order 9066, he wrote that " Time has healed some of the old wounds, but the scars are not visible, they are there in the deep recesses of that psychological corner of our minds". == Activism between 1960-1980 ==

Following his return to Los Angeles, Uno joined the JACL in 1948; becoming the youngest chapter president in the organization's history in 1950. However, he was forced to leave Hastings Law School where he attended, due to poor health. Uno served on San Francisco Mayor Joseph Aliotio's Crime Commission and on the city's Grand Jury as a chairman of the reform committee. Uno also taught ethnic studies at San Francisco State University in the 1960s. == Japanese American Redress Movement ==

In 1988, Uno's campaign for redress gained popularity, twelve years after his death. The campaign hoped to both educate the public on the plight of the Japanese American people, and gain economic restitution for their mass internment. == Awards and recognition ==

In 1972, Uno was the recipient of awards from the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Bar Association as recognition for his position as national co-chairman of the push to repeal Title 2 of the 1952 Internal Securities Act, which authorized retention camps. == Personal life ==

Uno was married to Rosalind Uno and had two daughters. He died on December 24, 1976, after a stroke at the University of California Hospital. == See also ==