The Manzanar Committee is honored to announce that noted civil rights attorney Dale Minami will be the keynote speaker at the 57th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage on Saturday, April 25.
Minami is best known in the Nikkei community for coordinating the legal effort to reopen the wartime convictions of Fred Korematsu, Min Yasui, and Gordon Hirabayashi. His efforts, along with the other members of the coram nobis legal team, led to their cases being vacated by the courts and became a major milestone in the fight for redress.
Minami was also one of the founders of Asian Law Caucus, the first nonprofit dedicated to offering legal services to Asian Americans. Over the years, he has represented many seeking justice, including activists fighting the evictions of elderly Filipinos at the I-Hotel in San Francisco, Chinese Americans fighting racial profiling against the San Francisco Police Department, and Don Nakanishi in his tenure struggle against UCLA.
Following 9/11, Minami also challenged the government’s unlimited power to imprison Muslims, South Asians, and Middle Easterners.
Manzanar Committee Chair Bruce Embrey is elated that Minami has agreed to be the keynote speaker. Considering that this year’s theme is “Lessons From Manzanar: Vigilance Is the Price of Democracy,” Minami is the perfect candidate to address the challenges that we face today, Embrey said.
“Dale Minami’s dedication to civil and human rights started well before he was thrust into the national spotlight with his work on the coram nobis cases in the 1980s. And his work since then, including fighting the government’s unjust treatment of Muslims and others after 9/11, demonstrates his commitment to equal rights for all people. Who else knows more about the fragility of democracy than Dale Minami? We are fortunate to have him as our keynote speaker.”
The Manzanar Committee’s pilgrimage draws thousands of attendees annually to listen to speakers and cultural performers, as well as participate in an interfaith service at the cemetery monument.
Every year this event is made possible thanks to the generosity of many volunteers. Those interested in volunteering at the pilgrimage are invited to fill out this form: https://bit.ly/manzanarvolunteer2026
Buses to the pilgrimage are available. Reservations for bus transportation will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Complimentary rides are available for those who were incarcerated at any of the former U.S. concentration camps or other confinement sites during World War II.
To reserve seats on the Little Tokyo bus, fill out the form at: https://bit.ly/manzanarbus2026
To reserve seats on the Gardena bus, fill out the form at: https://gvjci.wufoo.com/forms/q1on4szl0f4a129/
Buses will leave in the morning and return that evening. Those participating in the Manzanar At Dusk program must provide their own transportation.
For more information, call (323) 662-5102 or email info@manzanarcommittee.org.