Amy Mizuno, a dedicated activist and longtime educator, died Feb. 14 at age 102.
Her family and friends say Mizuno will be remembered for her joyfulness, kindness, humor, dedication to others and her commitment to bettering the world through teaching.
“She went through so much in her lifetime and she didn’t hold it against anyone,” said Noelle Kahanu, Mizuno’s close friend. “Amy chose to rise above it, and to use it as an opportunity to teach everyone, including generations of children and youth, about the importance of caring for one another.”
At the age of 19 when the United States entered World War II, Mizuno was interned at the Gila River Relocation Center in Arizona. The experience motivated Mizuno to speak out against social injustices throughout her lifetime, Kahanu said.
“Her up-close experience with the injustice of American policies made her always want to speak out for the underdog or people who have had no voice,” Kahanu said. “Her personal experience … made her a lifelong advocate for peace and reconciliation.”
At the Church of the Crossroads, where Mizuno had been a member for about 60 years, Kahu David Turner said Mizuno could always be found on the front lines of the church’s activism efforts. Even though she didn’t drive, Mizuno would go out of her way to find transportation to events that advocated against injustice, he said.
Mizuno’s daughter, Shanti Mizuno, said she and her mother would often attend peace rallies and parades together in their activism. Shanti Mizuno also recalled many of those memories sprinkled with her mother’s unfailing sense of humor.
In her mother’s later years, Shanti Mizuno said she accompanied her to participate in a parade in Honolulu. Mizuno no longer had the energy to walk the entire length of the parade, but still found a way to participate by asking a group pulling a wagon if she could sit in it. After her mother sat herself in the wagon, Shanti Mizuno recalled her throwing her hands and feet into the air and laughing exuberantly.
“She had on her thatched hat with red, white and blue sprinkles around the hat, and she just put up all hands and legs in the air and said ‘whoopee’,” said Shanti Mizuno, laughing as she recalled the moment. “You could just see the humor, that happiness.”
Coral Prince-Wilson said Mizuno was also a devoted friend who would always show up in times of need. This trait also transferred into Mizuno’s work as an educator, in which she focused her efforts onto higher-needs students.
“She bolstered people’s egos and made them feel safe in the world,” Prince-Wilson said. “She taught me kindness, and how small things matter.”
Mizuno’s celebration of life will be held March 23 at the Church of the Crossroads. Visitation starts at 10 a.m. followed by services at 10:30 a.m.
Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
