Born in Kukuiula, Hawaii, Spark M. Matsunaga (1916-1990) served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate, where he devoted himself to the cause of peace and the task of seeking redress for Japanese Americans interned during World War II.

As one who was well acquainted with the devastating effects of war, Spark M. Matsunaga made peace the focus of his career in the United States Congress. For nearly two decades, he lobbied his colleagues to establish a National Academy of Peace and Conflict Resolution, which he envisioned as a place young Americans could go to learn how to resolve domestic and international disputes without resorting to violence. He also championed the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Peace. In addition, Matsunaga was committed to seeking redress for a special group of war victims the tens of thousands of people...