Mari Matsuda facts for kids
Mari J. Matsuda was born in 1956. She is an American lawyer, activist, and law professor. She teaches at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Professor Matsuda made history in 1998. She became the first female Asian American law professor to earn a permanent teaching position (called "tenure") in the United States. This happened at the UCLA School of Law. She is also a key figure in critical race theory. This is a way of looking at how race and racism affect laws and society.
Before returning to the University of Hawaiʻi in 2008, Professor Matsuda taught at UCLA School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center. She taught about many important legal topics. These included constitutional law (rules for the government), civil rights (fair treatment for everyone), and legal history.
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Her Journey in Education
Mari Matsuda went to Roosevelt High School in Hawaii. She then earned her first college degree, a Bachelor of Arts, from Arizona State University. She studied law at the William S. Richardson School of Law. Later, she earned another advanced law degree (an LL.M.) from Harvard Law School.
Early in her career, she worked at a law firm in Honolulu. She also worked for a judge, Herbert Young Cho Choy. He was a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Her Career as a Professor and Activist
In 1998, Mari Matsuda became the first tenured female Asian American law professor in the U.S. This was at the UCLA School of Law. Before that, she taught for eight years at the William S. Richardson School of Law in Hawaii. There, she taught subjects like American Legal History and Civil Rights.
Professor Matsuda has also taught at other famous schools. These include Stanford Law School and Hiroshima University in Japan. She has helped train judges in places like Micronesia and South Africa. She calls herself an "activist scholar." This means she uses her knowledge to work for social change.
Her ideas are very important in the legal world. Her writings are often mentioned by other legal experts. She has also written for popular magazines like Ms. Magazine. She is a leading voice in critical race theory. For example, she wrote about the importance of Asian Americans fighting against unfair roles in society. Her work on reparations (making up for past wrongs) and affirmative action (policies to help groups who have faced discrimination) is often discussed.
Professor Matsuda often gives speeches at universities. She was also on a special team for Chevron-Texaco. This team worked on fairness and equality. In 2003, she received the Human Rights Award from the Society of American Law Teachers.
She works with many groups that support social justice. These include the ACLU and the National Asian Pacific Legal Consortium. A. Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential Asian Americans. This was for her work on important cases, like one about accent discrimination. Judge Richard Posner, a well-known legal expert, believes Mari Matsuda's work will have a lasting impact.
Awards and Recognitions
- 2014: AALDEF Justice in Action award
- 2016: Regents Medal for Excellence in Teaching
About Her Life
Mari Matsuda's family comes from Okinawa, an island group in Japan.
