Who is Elizabeth K. Ohi?

Elizabeth Kuma Ohi was born on February 9, 1911 in Chicago. In July of 1937, the Japanese American, Chicago native graduated first from John Marshall Law School, where she earned her law degree.

Her Life Story

Although Ohi was of mixed ancestry with her mother being white, she was detained soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She was worked as a secretary under attorney Arthur Goldberg, and released by him from her internment. Prior to working as an attorney in Washington D.C., Ohi joined the Navy for one year. Unfortunately, largely because of the racial discrimiation occuring during this time, Ohi did not finish her law career with her birth name, changing it to, "Owen" with hopes of concealing her asian background.