ACTOR GEORGE TAKEI, who spent part of his childhood behind the barbed wire of an internment camp, has not been bashful when expressing his views about President Trump's attempts to place travel restrictions on refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-dominated countries. On this day (Feb. 19), the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he goes on Youtube to share those views.
Takei's childhood experiences formed the basis of his historical musical, Allegiance, that was performed on Broadway. He is best-known for his portrayal of helmsman Hideki Sulu on the classic Star Trek television series. Since then, he has become a social justice advocate on a number of issues including LGBTQ concerns and a social media star where he is followed by millions of fans.
Agricultural workers in Contra Costa County gathered around a poster of Executive Order 9066. A photo exhibit, 'Images of Internment' will be on display at the FDR Library in Hyde Park, New York.
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY issued a formal apology for what happened to Japanese Americans 75 years ago when Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Board of Supervisors of the California county passed a resolution Feb. 14 apologizing for the incarceration of "our neighbors" and presented the proclamation to representatives of the Diablo Valley Japanese American Citizens League. Receiving the resolution were Yo Ikeda, Jack and Sumi Nakashima and Yo Ikea, all who were interned as children.
From left: Jack and Sumi Nakashima and Yo Ikea of the Diablo Valley
JACL received the Contra Costa proclamation last Feb. 14.
"I felt that the 75th anniversary of that infamous executive order gained even more meaning over the last few months when executive orders by President Trump were aimed at certain groups of people," said Supervisor Federal Glover, who sponsored by proclamation. "We need to learn from the past so that we don't repeat those same mistakes again," he said. Supervisor John Gioia also linked 9066 to what is going on today. He said many of the supporters of Trump's executive order use 9066 as a precedent for targeting groups of people.
"Of the 120,000 who were incarcerated, 70,000 of them were U.S. citizens," said Gioia. They were not granted due process as guaranteed by the Constitution, he said. He was referring to Trump's executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-dominated countries. That order was ruled to be a violation of the Constitution and has been blocked by the courts. The executive order was the impetus for spontaneous demonstrations at dozens of airports around the world as refugees and visitors from those seven countries were detained or turned away. Rather than appeal the court rulings, the President has since said that he will issue new orders next week that will pass judicial muster.
DOROTHEA LANGE/NATIONAL ARCHIVE
Hundreds of Japanese American residents of Contra Costa County were forced to leave their homes, businesses and school - like these residents of Byron, Calif. - because of Executive Order 9066.
Hiroshi Shimizu and Sadako Kashiwagi shared their stories of internment.
By Louis Chan ASAM NEWS THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE casting a suspicious eye on Muslims and refugees is all too familiar to Sadako Kashiwagi.
At just 10 years old, she was rounded up and imprisoned along with more than 18,000 Japanese Americans in Tule Lake in California, one of ten concentration camps set up by the federal government.
When asked if history was repeating itself, Sadako’s eyes began to well up. She cupped her hand and raised it to cover her mouth. Nodding affirmatively, she simply said “I can’t speak.”
Sadako was one of a nine people who spoke at a news conference at the Japanese American National Historical Society in San Francisco. As the country celebrates President’s Day this weekend with sales and a three day weekend, many are also pausing to remember Sunday’s 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. The order by President Franklin D Roosevelt set the stage for the incarceration of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.
“It really has an impact on children,” she would later say to AsAmNews following the news conference. “You’re made to feel ashamed of who you are . You forget about your language. You won’t eat food. That’s not right, that’s not right. You are who you are.”
Her husband Hiroshi Kashiwagi was also imprisoned at Tule Lake, although the two didn’t meet until after they were released. His memory of his experience is still vivid.
“The fence, and the guard tower,” Hiroshi responded when asked about his strongest images from Tule Lake. “The fact that we were penned in, that we couldn’t go near the fence. And we would be warned to not go too close. If you continued to go on your way, they might shoot you. There were cases like that where person got maybe unknowingly close to the fence and he was shot.”
The news conference Friday took place just a few hours after the Associated Press reported on a draft memo which called for 100,000 National Guard troops to augment border security.
The White House quickly said the memo was never seriously considered and never made it up the chain of command.
“How much of this is about direct impact and targeting and how much is about creating a culture of fear,” asked Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council of American Islamic Relations, Bay Area. “Even if 10 percent of that rumor with the Associated Press is true, that’s still a frightening idea that we maxed out on custom and border protection agents and ICE agents, so now we’re going to bring up the National Guard.”
Hiroshi Shimizu was just 5 when he also was at Tule Lake. The AP report reminded him of 1943, when authorities at Tule Lake declared martial law out of fear of rioting. He remembers 2,000 soldiers at Tule Lake, many with tanks and jeeps mounted with machine guns. He says Tule Lake was under martial law for five months.
“That is very similar of a military action that happened then and could happen today,” he said about reports of the National Guard. “That’s what we need to keep guard about.”
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act which approved a formal apology and $20,000 to each Japanese American incarcerated in the incarceration camps. The movement continues to win redress for 2,200 Latin Americans of Japanese descent who were forcibly deported to concentration camps in the United States.
“What we’re seeing too is more normalization of trying to identify an enemy and vilify an enemy and right now it looks like anybody can be the enemy,” said Grace Shimizu; Campaign for Justice: Redress Now.
The news conference was part of a series of events taking place in cities across the U.S. that has commonly become known as a Day of Remembrance.
“I see the Day of Remembrance as a way of bringing light to what people are capable of doing to each other and from that become a little aware of how as human beings we can become example of Hitler or a Mother Teresa,” said the Rev. Ron Kobata of the San Francisco Buddhist Church.
“Know your history, be strong, and don’t be ashamed,” concluded Sadako.
This photo is part of the exhibit that will be on display to mark the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066.
IN OBSERVANCE of the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum will open a new photographic exhibition entitled, "Images of Internment: The Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II," with over 200 photographs including the work of Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams.
Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Executive Order 9066 led to the incarceration of 120,000 people of Japanese descent -- including approximately 80,000 American citizens -- during World War II. The exhibit will be on display in the Library's William J. vanden Heuvel Gallery through December 31, 2017. Regular hours and admission apply.
In the tense weeks after Japan's Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, many Americans -- particularly those on the Pacific Coast -- feared enemy attack and saw danger in every corner. Rumors and sensational media reports heightened the climate of fear. Under pressure from military and political leaders, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. It is widely viewed today as a serious violation of civil liberties.
"Images of Internment" begins with a small document-focused display that briefly introduces the context behind FDR's decision to issue Executive Order 9066. It includes the role of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who disagreed with FDR's decision. In April 1943, the First Lady visited an internment camp. Shortly after that the Japanese American Citizens League presented her with a painting of the Topaz camp by Chiura Obata (1885-1975), a Japanese American artist who was confined there. Mrs. Roosevelt displayed the painting in her New York City home until her death in 1962. It is included in the exhibition.
Visitors then enter the exhibition's main gallery where they will encounter over 200 photographs (including some reproduced in dramatically large formats) that provide a visual record of the forced removal of Japanese Americans and their lives inside the restricted world of the remote government camps operated by the War Relocation Authority (WRA). Most of these images were shot by skilled photographers hired by the WRA. The WRA visual records (held at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland) include the work of Dorothea Lange, Clem Albers, Francis Stewart, and Hikaru Iwasaki.
"Images of Internment" also features photographs taken by Ansel Adams at the Manzanar camp and a selection of photos shot by George and Frank Hirahara, who were held at the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming.
The exhibit includes a short film that features excerpts from oral history accounts of Japanese/Americans in which they describe their experiences. There is also a video presentation of President Ronald Reagan's remarks when he signed the 1988 bill that provided an official government apology and cash payment to each surviving person covered under Executive Order 9066.
The FDR Library is located in Hyde Park, NY, north of New York City. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday. For more information, click here.
The National Archives holds hundreds of thousands of records relating to the internment, including the personal records of those detained, films of life in the camps, and documentation of the administration of the camps.
Japanese/Americans on the West Coast were forced to move to internment camps during World War II.
THE U.S. President authorized it. The U.S. Congress condoned it. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld it. "It" is Executive Order 9066 which imprisoned 120,000 Japanese, mostly U.S. citizens, in U.S. concentration camps. The infamous order was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on Feb. 19, 1043.
Japanese/American communities throughout the United States have scheduled events commemorating the signing of Executive Order 9066. Here are the events planned for San Francisco and Los Angeles.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
The Nichi Bei Foundation presents the fifth annual Films of Remembrance, a one-day film event held in conjunction with the Day of Remembrance, commemorating the signing of Executive Order 9066, which set the wheels in motion to forcibly remove some 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry into American concentration camps during World War II.
WHEN: Saturday, February 20, 2016 from 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM (PST) - Add to CalendarWHERE: New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street San Francisco, CA 94115 - View Map
LOS ANGELES
Is It 1942 Again? Overcoming Our Fears and Upholding Constitutional Rights for All
PAY WHAT YOU WISH
Our history reminds us how fear and prejudice can threaten the civil liberties of all people. Recently, Muslim/Americans and refugees seeking to enter the U.S. have faced a backlash following terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. This year’s program will explore parallels between the experiences of those groups and that of Japanese Americans during World War II. Light reception to follow.
JANM is proud to present the 2016 Los Angeles Community Day of Remembrance in partnership with the Japanese American Citizens League–Pacific Southwest District, Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress, and the Manzanar Committee.
WHEN: Saturday, February 20, 2016, 2-4 p.m.
WHERE: Japanese American National Musem,100 N Central Ave. Los Angeles
WASHINGTON, D.C., PHILADELPHIA, SEATTLE, SAN DIEGO
Other Day of Remembrance events throughout the nation can be found here.
