Janice Mirikitani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janice Mirikitani
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Mirikitani in 1977
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| Born | February 5, 1941 Stockton, California, U.S.
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| Died | July 29, 2021 (aged 80) San Francisco, California, U.S.
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| Education | San Francisco State University |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Poet, activist, community organizer |
| Spouse(s) | Cecil Williams (m. 1982–2021; death) |
| Children | 1 |
Janice Mirikitani (born February 5, 1941 – died July 29, 2021) was a Japanese-American poet and activist. She lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of her adult life. She helped lead the Glide Memorial Church with her husband, Cecil Williams. She was well-known for being San Francisco's poet laureate from 2000 to 2002.
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Janice Mirikitani's Early Life
Janice Mirikitani was born in Stockton, California, on February 5, 1941. She was a Sansei, which means she was a third-generation Japanese American. Her parents, Shigemi and Ted Mirikitani, were chicken farmers in San Joaquin County, California.
Life During World War II
In 1942, during World War II, the United States government forced many Japanese Americans to move to special camps. This was called the Japanese American internment. Janice and her family were sent to the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas. After the war, her family moved to Chicago.
Later, her parents divorced. Janice moved back to a chicken farm in Petaluma, California, with her mother. This allowed them to be closer to their family.
Education and Early Career
Mirikitani went to the UCLA. There, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. During this time, she thought a lot about her Japanese-American identity. She later wrote about these feelings in her poetry.
After college, she taught in the Contra Costa School District for one year. She then worked as an assistant at Glide Memorial Church in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. She also started graduate school for creative writing at San Francisco State University, but she did not finish her studies there.
Janice Mirikitani's Activism and Poetry
Janice Mirikitani was very active in social justice. She joined the Asian American Political Alliance. She also helped start Aion, which was the first literary magazine for Asian Americans. She edited two collections of writings for Third World Communications: Third World Women (1972) and Time to Greez! Incantations from the Third World (1975). She also directed a project for Ayumi: A Japanese American Anthology (1980).
Work at Glide Memorial Church
In 1969, after two years of activism, she became the program director for Glide Memorial United Methodist Church. In 1982, Mirikitani married Cecil Williams, who was the pastor of the church.
That same year, she became the president of the Glide Foundation. In this role, she was in charge of raising money and managing the budget for the church's many community programs.
Poet Laureate and Recognition
In 2000, Janice Mirikitani was named the second poet laureate for the city of San Francisco. A poet laureate is a poet who is honored by a government or institution. She held this important role for two years. The California State Assembly also named her "Woman of the Year" for her district.
Janice Mirikitani's Family Life
Janice Mirikitani had one child, Tianne Miller, from her first marriage. One of her cousins was the painter, Jimmy Mirikitani.
Janice Mirikitani passed away on July 29, 2021, at the age of 80. She died from cancer.
