Michi Yasui Ando smiles in her graduation regalia at the 1986 UO commencement ceremony.
Michi Yasui Ando 1920-2006
Graduate of the University of Oregon
In the spring of 1942, shortly after finishing her final exams, University of Oregon senior Michi Yasui applied to attend graduation with her class. The commencement ceremony would begin at 8 p.m. on May 31 in McArthur Court. But the United States was at war with Japan, and under internment policies, Japanese American students were confined to their dorm rooms by a strict curfew.
Dean of Personnel Administration Karl Onthank and other university administrators had petitioned the federal government on Yasui’s behalf, but the Wartime Civil Control Administration rejected their request: she was denied permission to attend her graduation ceremony.
After a clandestine departure from Eugene, Yasui successfully reunited with her brother Shu in Denver. There she would earn her Master of Education and achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher—but she had to wait 44 years before finally receiving her bachelor’s degree from the UO.
In 1986, Yasui finally attended her commencement ceremony at Hayward Field. Her remarks prompted a standing ovation as local, national, and international TV cameras rolled. UO President Meredith Wilson would later remark,
“What a beautiful way to be outshone.”
“It was actually a fluke. I could have been stopped because of the five-mile travel restriction. But if I’d sat round waiting for anything, I probably would have been sent to one of the evacuation camps. A lot of things would have been different.” – Michi Yasui Ando
Michi Yasui Ando poses with University of Oregon President Paul Olum in 1986.
A group of Japanese American University of Oregon graduates attends the 1986 commencement ceremony to receive their diplomas. Many Japanese American students were barred from attending their original ceremonies during the internment period of 1942 – 1945, due to government curfews and forced incarceration.
Michi Yasui Ando Receiving Diploma, 1986
Michi Yasui Ando speaks to the commencement crowd in 1986.
Michi Yasui Ando in her home, 1986.
Read more about Michi Yasui Ando’s story
– English as Weapon, English as Sanctuary
– The Yasui Family & The American Dream
– Special Collections & University Archives
Visit the Eugene Japanese American Art Memorial
The Eugene Japanese American Art Memorial was dedicated on February 19, 2007 and is in downtown Eugene. It serves to remember the many Japanese American people who were affected by forced mass incarceration and other acts of racism during World War II. The statue, designed by David Clemons, depicts a Japanese American girl sitting on a pile of suitcases and footlockers reaching out for a butterfly.
Located outside of the Hult Center in downtown Eugene.