The UCLA Asian American Studies Center is very pleased to announce a major gift of $100,000 to establish the Martha Ogata Endowment Fund. The endowment was created by the two sons of the late Martha Ogata of California, Dr. Fil D. Barrozo, M.D. and Dr. Tobin Barrozo, Ph.D.
The Ogata endowment will focus on women and children of Asian ancestry who are victims of domestic violence or abuse or whose situations put them at risk of such violence or abuse. The endowment, which will be administered by the Asian American Studies Center, will be used to support research by UCLA faculty and students, clinical study and training, community-university partnerships and forums, and other activities that will further the study and provision of services to this vulnerable population.
The annual awards from the endowment will be open to UCLA faculty and students from all disciplines across the University, using different methodologies and theoretical approaches, undertaking scholarly, policy, or artistic projects focusing on the objectives of the endowment.
"We are extremely grateful to Drs. Fil and Tobin Barrozo," said Professor Don Nakanishi, Director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center,"for entrusting our Center and UCLA with this endowment to undertake research and other activities that will serve to document, analyze, and seek solutions to these tragic and oftentimes unreported situations in Asian American communities. Their mother had a very difficult life, and it was her wish to assist Asian American women and children, who were victims of domestic violence and abuse. We believe this endowment will make a difference in addressing these issues for many years to come."
Martha Ogata was born in the state of Washington, and lived in Montana, Washington, and California. Her father, Rinzo Ogata, immigrated from Japan and arrived in Seattle, WA in 1904 when he was 21 years old. Like most Japanese immigrants of this era, he made a living working with his hands. Rinzo married Nobu Horiuchi on Jan. 14, 1914. Martha Ogata was born Feb. 15, 1919 at Mabton, WA. Martha left the family home at an early age, and endured considerable hardship, especially during World War II when she faced discrimination like others of Japanese ancestry.
Martha Ogata married Paul Barrozo and they had two sons: Fil and Tobin. She was proud of her boys: Fil became a physician and Tobin a University President. Following her divorce from Paul Barrozo, she lived in Montana, Washington Minnesota and California. Earning a G.E.D., Ogata was licensed to sell real estate in California and, given her background and many hardships, was successful.
In paying tribute to his mother, Dr.Tobin Barrozo said, "Upon her retirement, our mother did volunteer work with organizations serving minorities and the aged and wanted desperately to believe her life had meaning and purpose. The gift to UCLA is her legacy"
About the UCLA Asian American Studies Center
The UCLA Asian American Studies Center, founded in 1969, is the leading research, teaching, publications, archival and library, and public educational program in Asian American Studies. It has a faculty of over forty faculty members from throughout the UCLA campus, who are specialists in disciplines ranging from the social sciences to the humanities, as well as many professional fields like law, urban planning, education, public health, and the arts. Its Center Press publishes Amerasia Journal and AAPI Nexius, along with many books and reports. The Center also maintains an array of relationships with organizations, elected and community leaders, corporations, and foundations throughout the nation and world. |
