The Writers' Union of Canada is saddened to hear of the death of poet Roy Miki, Visionary Member of the Union.
Dr. Roy Miki was an activist and advocate for those facing racial discrimination. A poet, editor, and critic, Miki won the 2002 Governor General’s Award for Poetry for his book Surrender.
In the 1970s and 80s, Miki worked in the Redress Movement, advocating for Japanese-Canadians who were forcibly relocated and dispossessed during World War II. His 1991 book Justice in Our Time: The Japanese Canadian Redress Settlement (co-written with Cassandra Kobayashi) documents the great victory for human rights that was 1988’s Redress Settlement.
A longtime member of TWUC, Miki was also a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. TWUC is grateful for his significant role and leadership in the Union’s equity work as chair of the Racial Minority Writers’ Committee during the Writing Thru Race conference and as a member of the Social Justice Task Force whose report laid the foundations for much of the Union’s equity implementation.
