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HONORING THE LIFE OF ROSE MATSUI OCHI
______
HON. JUDY CHU
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Rose Matsui Ochi, who passed away on December 13, 2020, at the age of 81. Rose was a dedicated public servant, a longtime constituent of mine in Monterey Park, California, and a dear friend.
Rose was born on December 15, 1938, in East Los Angeles, but her early childhood was spent imprisoned at Rohwer concentration camp in Arkansas along with countless other Japanese Americans during World War II. This childhood experience with systemic racism helped forge her passion for social justice and solidified her determination to break barriers. At a time when people of color were not expected or encouraged to seek higher education, Rose graduated from UCLA in 1959 and received her graduate degree in education from Cal State Los Angeles in 1967. After witnessing the 1968 East L.A. walkouts by Latino students demanding equal conditions in schools, Rose was inspired to pursue a career in law to create a more just and equitable society. She graduated from Loyola Law School in 1972 and was admitted to the California Bar that year.
Seen by many as a rising star who possessed an incredible legal mind, Rose quickly became involved in public policy at the federal level. In 1979, she was appointed to President Carter's Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy, where she pushed for immigration reform and helped secure a pathway to citizenship for thousands of undocumented immigrants. She then took from her childhood experiences and helped secure a federal apology and redress for Japanese American detention camp survivors in 1988. And in 1997, Rose was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the director of the Community Relations Service at the Department of Justice, becoming the first Asian-American woman to serve as an assistant attorney general.
She also had incredible achievements in her service to Los Angeles communities. She served for two decades as the director of the City's criminal justice office, where she helped reduce gang violence by supporting programs for at-risk youth, designed successful community policing methods, and increased the number of women and officers of color within the Los Angeles Police Department. And in 2001, she broke yet another barrier by becoming the first Asian American woman to serve on the Los Angeles Police Commission.
On top of her long list of accomplishments, Rose Ochi paved the way for people like me. There were so few Asian-American women in leadership positions as I was growing up that I never dreamed I could be an elected official, let alone a Congressmember. But Rose's spirit, determination, and boldness were an inspiration to me. She was passionate and compassionate, and always had a word of encouragement for me. I was lucky to have her as my constituent and I was lucky to have known her. I ask my colleagues to join me in commemorating the life of an extraordinary woman and a trailblazing public servant.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 7
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