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Interviews

Wendy Shiba

(b. 1950) Corporate attorney, executive, and advocate promoting allyship and DEI
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Japanese Food at Home

The JACL picnic was the only time when I was aware that there were other people who looked like us. And we had Japanese food, mom would make onigiri and chicken teriyaki to take to the picnic. But we didn't have that regularly at home, we had some Japanese food, but not very often.

For instance, my dad would beg her to make tempura, and she would say, “It’s so messy,” with the oil splattering all over. But my mom also made Mexican food and Indian food, and she was a great cook. And I grew up eating a lot of different cultural food, but not exclusively Japanese.

families food Japanese food picnics

Date: Jul 3, 2025

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Kaori Nemoto

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association

Interviewee Bio

Born in 1950 to Nisei parents, Wendy Shiba grew up in the all-White suburb of Westlake, Ohio. Despite the lack of representation, Shiba pursued higher education as a first generation and first woman in her family to do so. After graduating Temple Law School at the top of her class, Shiba went on to work in several prestigious positions, including as a law clerk to California Supreme Court Associate Justice Stanley Mosk, a law professor, a Big Law corporate attorney, and a C-suite executive for a Fortune 500 company.

Through her professional experiences, Shiba developed a passion for promoting allyship, DEI, and mentorship within the workplace and in the community. She served as NAPABA president from 2012 through 2013 and was a board member for the Japanese American National Museum since 2009.

Shiba today advocates for marginalized communities as chair for the ABA’s Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She hopes young people will consider how to embody allyship for communities that are especially at risk for discrimination and face constant threats to their civil liberties today. (September 2025)

 

*This interview was conducted as part of the Japanese American Bar Association (JABA) Legacy Project by the Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) Program intern co-hosted by JABA and the Japanese American National Museum each summer.

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