Noriko Sawada Bridges Flynn facts for kids

Noriko "Nikki" Sawada Bridges Flynn (February 11, 1923 – February 7, 2003) was a Japanese American writer and civil rights activist. She worked hard to make sure everyone had fair and equal treatment. Nikki also helped change a law in Nevada that stopped people of different races from getting married.

Noriko Sawada's Early Life

Noriko Sawada was born in Gardena, California on February 11, 1923. Her parents were from Japan. They grew crops on land they rented. At that time, it was against the law for Japanese people to own farmland in California.

Nikki started college at Santa Monica College. But she had to stop after her first year.

Life in the Internment Camp

In 1942, during World War II, Nikki and her family faced a big challenge. The U.S. government issued Executive Order 9066. This order forced many Japanese Americans, including Nikki's family, to leave their homes. They were sent to special camps called internment camps.

Nikki and her family were held in a camp near Poston, Arizona. They lived there for three years, surrounded by barbed-wire fences. This experience was very upsetting for Nikki. It showed her how unfair society could be. She later said she felt "terribly angry" and that "everything was turned upside-down."

Fighting for Fairness

After the internment camp, Nikki and her parents moved to Berkeley, California. Nikki became very active in groups that worked for social justice. She joined the AFL-CIO, which is a large group of workers' unions. She also worked with the Berkeley Interracial Committee. This group tried to improve relations between different races.

For twelve years, Nikki worked with a lawyer named Charles Garry. He often defended people who were fighting for political rights.

Challenging Unfair Marriage Laws

Nikki met her first husband, Harry Bridges, at a fundraising event. Harry was a well-known labor leader. They fell in love and decided to get married in 1958. They chose to marry on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7.

However, their marriage license was denied in Nevada. This was because Nevada had an old law from 1846. This law stopped people of different races from marrying each other. It specifically "prohibited marriages between whites and Asians."

Nikki and Harry decided to fight this unfair law. Nikki was born in the United States, so she argued she was not a foreigner. The clerk even asked her, "Are you black, white, brown, red or yellow?" Nikki had to answer, "Under those categories, I must be yellow."

Their case got attention from newspapers across the country. Lawyers for Nikki and Harry worked quickly. In just four days, they managed to get the Nevada law overturned. This allowed Nikki and Harry to finally marry in Reno, Nevada.

Writing and Recognition

In 1973, Nikki studied creative writing at San Francisco State University. Her writings were published in famous magazines like Harper's and Ms. Magazine.

In 1988, Nikki received a special award. The Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition honored her with the Asian Woman Warrior award. This was for her strong work in helping her community.

In 1990, Nikki read her poem "To Be or Not to Be: There is No Such Option." She read it at a government ceremony. This event was held to apologize to Japanese Americans for their internment during World War II. Later that same year, her husband, Harry Bridges, passed away.

Nikki had been friends with Ed Flynn for many years. In 1994, when she was 72 years old, they got married.

Noriko "Nikki" Sawada Bridges Flynn died at her home in Pescadero, California on February 7, 2003.