Michi Weglyn

Japanese-American author who exposed US internment camp atrocities through groundbreaking research

Michi Weglyn (1926-1999) forced America to confront its WWII shame through her book Years of Infamy (1976). As teen prisoner in Gila River camp, she later uncovered 14,000+ documents proving government's knowing violation of Japanese-Americans' rights.

Her work revealed suppressed evidence: Internment wasn't military necessity but racist policy, influencing Congress' 1988 reparations. Unlike male historians, Weglyn centered women's stories - mothers giving birth behind barbed wire, families losing $2B+ property.

As costume designer turned activist, she used visual storytelling in Days of Waiting documentary about mixed-race detainees. Her archival research became foundation for post-9/11 civil rights movements. Despite death threats, Weglyn testified in 1981 hearings, declaring: 'We were guinea pigs for America's concentration camp system.'