Hide Hyodo Shimizu (1908 – 1999)

Hide Hyodo Shimizu was an educator, activist and advocate for Japanese-Canadian rights and enfranchisement. Born in Vancouver, she was among the first Japanese-Canadians to receive a teaching certificate. Shimizu’s first teaching job, in 1926, required her to learn Japanese in order to communicate with her grade one class. In 1936, Shimizu addressed Parliament in an effort to have voting rights restored to Asian immigrants and their descendants. In 1941, when the Government of Canada stripped Japanese-Canadians of their rights and possessions and forced them into internment camps, Shimizu recruited 120 Japanese teachers, many students themselves, and established a system of schools for the 3,000 children interned in camps throughout British Columbia. Shimizu later lobbied the government for reparations to the many Japanese-Canadians who lost homes, businesses, jobs, property and more during the war. For her inspiration and invaluable contributions, she received numerous awards and honours, including the Order of Canada. The National Association of Japanese Canadians established a scholarship in Shimizu’s memory.

“There are lingering bitter memories in the minds of those who, even to this day, cannot accept the tragic fate of our wartime experiences. These are part of the trauma…It has been 35 years. I am a Christian woman, so I have forgiven, but it is very difficult to forget.”