Patrick “Pat” Hayashi

Patrick "Pat" Hayashi (January 10, 1944) is a Japanese American civil rights activist, Asian American community leader, academic, and academic administrator, and artist. Born Patrick Saburo Hayashi in the Topaz incarceration camp during World War II, Pat Hayashi began his career at the University of California, Berkeley in 1966 as a mail carrier, and in 1969, taught English 1A in the new Asian American Studies program. Hayashi later served as Associate President under President Dwight Atkinson, becoming the first highest ranking Asian American administrator in the University of California system.

Biography Hayashi attended grade school in Hayward, California enrolled in San Jose State University, and later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley.

He began his career as a mail carrier on the campus of UC Berkeley and went on to hold a range of positions, including faculty member and eventually chair of the Asian American Studies Department. He also served as an analyst and Special Assistant to the Chancellor. The political pressure resulted in a public apology from then Chancellor Ira Michael Heyman. He was invited by the United States State Department to offer art lessons and lectures about Japanese incarceration in Kyrgyzstan.

In 2009, Hayashi gave a commencement speech at a University of California Nisei honorary degree ceremony recognizing Japanese American students affected by WWII incarceration.

As of 2014, Hayashi is a member of the Emeritus Board of Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE).

Early life Although Hayashi has stated that he does not recall much from his time in the Topaz incarceration camp, he describes the experience as having a lasting impact on his life and identity.