JANM Congratulates Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi, Posthumous Recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal

Editor’s note: JANM’s Pavilion is closed for renovation; programs will continue on the JANM campus and at other locations at janm.org/OnTheGo. 

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) applauds the presidential administration for posthumously awarding Mitsuye Endo Tsutsumi the Presidential Citizens Medal. Known as the second highest civilian medal, it is awarded to US citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. Their commitment, dedication, and service to others make the country better. Endo was one of twenty medal recipients. 

During World War II, Mitsuye Endo was incarcerated at the Sacramento temporary detention center, the Tule Lake concentration camp and segregation center, and the Topaz concentration camp alongside over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry. Her Supreme Court case Ex Parte Endo challenged the injustice of incarceration, helped thousands of Japanese Americans to return home and rebuild their lives, and is a reminder that the US stands for freedom for all. The award is especially fitting given the recent eightieth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision. 

“This award underscores the power and principle of Endo’s decision to use her story to call out unjust deprivation of civil liberties—for herself and others—and to persist until rights are restored,” said Kathryn Bannai, JANM trustee and the co-chair of the Endo Presidential Medal of Freedom Committee.

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