Takuji Yamashita was born in Japan in 1874.
He came to Tacoma in the late 1890’s, and came to Seattle in 1900. He came because he had little hope of a good future in Japan, and wanted to get an education and “work for the public good.”
He graduated from the UW school of Law with distinction, but was not allowed to practice law because only a US citizen was allowed to do that. At the time, Asians living in Washington could not legally gain citizenship. People in the area were resentful towards most immigrants. So he went to court to contest it, and represented himself, but lost the case. His struggle paved the way for many such struggles against racism in the future. In the end the law saw changed, and many now see Yamashita as a hero.
Jessica
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