Historian Takaki, 70; Author of Minority Experience in America
Saturday, May 30, 2009

Ronald Takaki

Historian Ronald Takaki, professor emeritus of ethnic studies at the UC Berkeley, and prolific scholar of U.S. race relations died at his home in Berkeley on Tuesday. He was 70.

The Los Angeles Times reported that he committed suicide after struggling for nearly 20 years with multiple sclerosis.

Takaki was born in Hawaii in 1939, was an accomplished scholar, author, academician and advocate. His teachings, articles, and books were invaluable in documenting the Asian Pacific American experience in the United States and in teaching of the Asian American immigrant history and contributions to American society. 

He possessed a gentleman's demeanor but was not one to be under-estimated. 

He was a skilled warrior who spoke out eloquently and tirelessly for affirmative action. He did not feel that institutions of higher learning should be available only to the few, but rather should be accessible to all. He was an expert on race relations.

Takaki authored more than 20 books including "Pau Hana: Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaii, 1835-1920" (1983), "Strangers From a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans" (1989), "Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb" (1996), and "Iron Cages: Race and Culture in 19th-Century America" (2000).

Among his numerous accolades for scholarship and activism, Takaki received a Pulitzer nomination for his book, "A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America" (1993); a Distinguished Teaching Award from UC Berkeley and the 2003 Fred Cody Award for lifetime achievement from the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association.

During a commencement address given at Whitman College in 2006, Takaki said he sought to tell a different story of America.

"In my book, the epic story of America is told not only from the top-down, the perspectives of the rich and powerful, but, more importantly, from the bottom-up, through the lives, experiences, and stories of everyday people - the indigenous people of this continent and also the people originally from England, Africa, Ireland, China, Japan, Russia, and Mexico," Takaki said. "Their varied voices, orchestrated side-by-side together, tell the complicated but hopeful story of America as a nation peopled by the world."

S. Floyd Mori, national executive director of the JACL, stated: "Ronald Takaki and Him Mark Lai did much for the Asian American community with their efforts to have the Asian American stories told in colleges throughout the nation. They leave a wonderful legacy of knowledge. Their teachings and leadership will live on through the lives of the student advocates whom they taught and mentored as they carry forth the work and vision of an inclusive society."

"When I think of Ron, the words that come to mind are: solidarity, justice, easy-going, self-effacing, generous, creative," said Beatriz Manz, chair of UC Berkeley's Department of Ethnic Studies. "He poked fun at himself and had a contagious laughter. He embodied kindness. He was agreeable, conciliatory and non-confrontational."

Takaki is survived by his wife, Carol; his three children, Todd of El Cerrito, Calif., Troy of Los Angeles and Dana of Chester, Conn.; and several grandchildren.

Takaki has donated his research and published papers to the Ethnic Studies Library at UC Berkeley. His family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Takaki's name to the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco.