Throughout her life, Jean Yonemura Wing fought for social justice.  She devoted much of her career to the transformation of the Oakland Public Schools so that it would deliver on its promise to make educational equity, excellence, and empowerment real in every school, every classroom, every day, for every student, no matter the student’s citizenship, race, economic background, ethnicity, language, or religion.

Jean focused especially on disenfranchised Black, Asian, Latinx, and other children of color, having herself come from a Japanese American family that was unjustly imprisoned during World War II. She worked closely and collectively with BIPOC students, families, community leaders, and educators, always seeking and honoring their life stories to devise strategies leading to youth empowerment. Jean Yonemura Wing Memorial Scholarship awards are given to young men affiliated with KOO who evidence the potential to make the same lifelong commitment to advancing equity and social justice.