Grayce Uyehara

Grayce Uyehara, née Kaneda, (4 July 1919 - 22 June 2014) was a Japanese-American social worker and activist who led the campaign for a formal government apology for Japanese-American internment during World War II. Born in Stockton, California, Uyehara was part of the nisei generation, and the second of seven children. She was a student at the University of the Pacific, majoring in music, when she and her family were imprisoned in the Rohwer, Arkansas internment camp. After her release, Uyehara studied at Minnesota State Teachers College, then moved to Philadelphia and married a fellow former internee, Hiroshi Uyehara. The Uyeharas organized the Philadelphia chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Grayce became one of its first women leaders nationwide.

While an activist, Uyehara worked as a social worker. After her retirement, she directed the JACL's lobbying committee; their lobbying efforts led to President Ronald Reagan's signing of 1988 signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided reparations for former internees. In 2014, she was honored by Asian Americans United with its Standing Up For Justice Award. Uyehara was remembered after her death by other Japanese-American activists for her focus and effectiveness as an activist.