Fred Yoshihiro Oyama

Oyama Fred (Bantugan)

 

Fred Yoshihiro Oyama (1924-?)

b. Chula Vista, California

Oyama v. State of California (1948)

Do You Know? At age six, Fred Oyama owned eight acres of land.

What: California sued the Oyama family to take back the acres of land that the father had bought under Fred's name.

Decision: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Oyama family, declaring the state violated Oyama's constitutional rights when they seized his family's farm during World War II.

Today: Every person can purchase and own property or land, regardless of ethnicity.

(Portrait by Joyce Bantugan, SFSU 2020)