California Assembly passes resolution apologizing for WW2 incarceration of Japanese Americans

2018 PHOTO

Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi sponsored the resolution apologizing for Japanese American incarceration,

It took 78 years but the state of California finally acknowledged its role in the World War 2 incarceration of Japanese Americans by starting the process of issuing an official apology.
The California Assembly unanimously passed the resolution Thursday afternoon. The Senate will vote on its companion measure soon and then the resolution will go to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature.

Even though the US Congress issued a similar apology in 1983, Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi who sponsored the resolution felt it important for the state to iissue its own formal apology. 

"Unfortunately, during the years leading up to World War II, California was at the forefront and led the nation in so many ways in fanning the flames of racism and immigrant scapegoating against Japanese Americans," said Muratsuchi, who was born in Japan.

"I felt that it was important to document this uniquely Californian history of racism and immigrant scapegoating against Japanese Americans."

The Golden State has the largest population of people of Japanese descent of any state, numbering around 430,000.

The resolution came a day after Newsom declared Feb. 19 a Day of Remembrance. That's the date in 1942 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order that led to the imprisonment of Japanese Americans across 10 camps in the West and Arkansas.

"This stain on our history should remind us to always stand up for our fellow Americans, regardless of their national origin or immigration status, and protect the civil rights and liberties that we hold dear," said Newsom on Wednesday.

Japanese Americans also felt it was important to have the resolution because of the current anti-immigrant climate fueld by the Donald Trump administration policies such as the Muslim travel ban and the harsh treatment of asylum speakers at the US' southern border with Mexico that includes the separation of infants and children from their parents.

The Japanese American Citizens League has been outspoken against Trump's treatment of sould-be immigrants and the detention centers that houses thousands of refugees.

“Given recent national events, it is all the more important to learn from the mistakes of the past and to ensure that such an assault on freedom will never again happen to any community in the United States,” the Assembly resolution states.

“Nearly 80 years later, I'm glad that my home state of California is passing a resolution to formally apologize to the Japanese American community for the role it played in perpetrating these atrocities. This apology is long overdue, but necessary," said Rep. Mark Takano.

"Now, we must continue fighting against the Trump Administration’s xenophobic agenda and speak out against the fearmongering that targets innocent communities. It’s up to us to prevent history from repeating itself, and this starts by Congress passing the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act – legislation I introduced with Senator (Mazie) Hirono to prevent the unjust imprisonment of people on the basis of race, religion, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability. We must do everything we can to safeguard our liberties.”

Rep. Doris Matsui added, “Through our profound sense of togetherness, we will continue bending the moral arc of this country by lifting our voices and fighting so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Our country’s strength is its diversity, and Japanese Americans, as well as all immigrant communities, will continue to make that American tapestry that much more vibrant.”