Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to participate in a May 4 celebration of the naming of Yasui Hall. The public is invited to a naming ceremony and screening of a documentary about University of Oregon alumnus Minoru Yasui. 

At 2 p.m. on the lawn of the university’s Living Learning Center Quad (or in the performance hall in case of inclement weather), UO President Karl Scholz and some 40 members of the Yasui family from around the U.S. will join faculty members, staff, students and friends for a dedication ceremony. 

The event will also include light refreshments, building tours and a performance by the UO student taiko drumming group Ahiru Daiko. 

A panel discussion will follow a 7 p.m. screening of “Never Give Up” in the Ford Alumni Center Giustina Ballroom. The 2017 documentary portrays Minoru Yasui, a graduate of the UO School of Law who took his civil rights case to the Supreme Court. 

Panelists will include Barbara Yasui, niece of Minoru Yasui; Peggy Nagae, an attorney and former School of Law assistant dean who worked on Minoru Yasui’s legal case; and Professor Emerit Lauren Kessler. “Stubborn Twig,” a 1993 book by Kessler, chronicles three generations of the Yasui family and won the Oregon Book Award. 

The discussion will be facilitated by Kevin Hatfield, a UO historian and assistant vice provost for undergraduate research and distinguished scholarships. Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP. 

In 2015, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Minoru Yasui the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Four generations of Yasuis have attended the university, including two current students.

—Ed Dorsch, University Communications