Volunteer Pins

Presenting: Mary Jane Mikuriya - Servas Traveller and Committed Local Volunteer in San Francisco
By Susanne Pacher

When I first met Mary Jane at the recent Canadian-US Servas Conference in Vancouver, her youthful radiance struck me. I thought she might be in her early fifties, and then she revealed that she is 70! No wonder - here is a woman who exudes optimism, who always has a smile on her face. As a long-term member of Servas in the United States, Mary Jane has travelled the world, and by being a host she has brought the world into her home - in fact in almost 30 years she has opened her home to around 300 travellers from all over the world.

Starting with her childhood during WWII, growing up with a mother from Austria-Hungary and a father from Japan, Mary Jane's intercultural sensitivities got sharpened very early, and her commitment to social justice started when she was very young. Today she is involved in a whole range of causes in San Francisco and her time and dedication are making a difference - Mary Jane builds peace one person at a time. Here is a dynamic woman with a truly interesting story:

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, what is your profession, where do you live now?

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania. My parents were college educated but were looked down upon by the locals as foreigners. My father was prevented from becoming a citizen due to the federal 1924 Asian Exclusion Act until the early 1950 when the law was changed.

Mary Jane

My mother lost her citizenship because in the 1920s when my parents were married, a woman who married a foreign man would loose her citizenship, no matter if she was a birth right citizen or a naturalized one. This was not the case for men. Thus, my mother was naturalized twice. This law was eventually changed in the 1930s. Citizenship and human rights became an important issues in my life.

As a first generation American, with a mother from Austria-Hungary and a father from Japan, you can imagine the stares we received as a mixed race family with a 5' 10" Caucasian mother and a 5' 6" Asian dad. You can't imagine how we were treated growing up during W.W.II with a German speaking mother and a Japanese speaking father.