Once construction is complete, the home will be a museum to honor Jukichi Harada and his family.
When Jukichi bought the home in 1915, he placed ownership of it under the names of his three U.S.-born children. At the time, he legally couldn’t own the property because he was an immigrant from Japan and not a U.S. Citizen.
Neighbors attempted to have the Harada’s outed from the property in a lawsuit, but the Family would go on to retain ownership after winning a landmark California Superior Court Case.
Riverside State Assemblyman Jose Medina helped obtain the funds for the renovations and says the home is an example of immigrants fighting to be a part of U.S. society. He says, "It was a challenge to discrimination, a challenge to racism, a challenge to unfair laws, and is an example of how immigrants have fought to be a part of American society.”
You can visit the outside of the home at Lemon and 2nd street in Downtown Riverside, with the renovations expected to take four years.
