Spring Break
In light of a past injustice
Interned Japanese from WWII honored in Sunday's ceremony
Colleen Watson
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: News
Reiko Nakayama, a volunteer with the association and Aikido teaching assistant at SJSU said, "The Muslim-Americans and South Asian Americans are experiencing the same harassment that the Japanese community did at the beginning of 1942."
Samina Faheem Sundas, executive director of American Muslim Voice, was a guest speaker. She spoke of how, after Sept. 11, the Japanese community was the first group to show support to Muslims.
"We see history being repeated through government procedure and processes," she said, adding that today, as was in 1942, racial prejudice, war hysteria and a weak government were leading to civil rights violations.
"We have repeated, essentially, what happened in 1942," said California Rep. Mike Honda, who had spent his early childhood in an internment camp in Colorado. He was referring to Muslims living in America that had been registered and deported.
"For the past few years we have fallen asleep," he said. "This evening is a wake-up call, so that acts of the government don't go unchecked by us."
Those who were relocated received redress in 1988 when former President Ronald Reagan signed HR442, which awarded the Japanese $20,000 and a letter of apology from the government, said Kathy Tafeda, a volunteer of the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee.
HR442 is in reference to the 442nd Japanese American Battalion, which fought in World War II and is the most decorated battalion in U.S. history, said Gary Jio of the committee.
More than 2,000 Latin-Japanese Americans who were taken from 13 different countries have yet to receive redress, said Honda.
The evening included a candlelight procession through Japantown and a cultural drum performance by San Jose Taiko.
Samina Faheem Sundas, executive director of American Muslim Voice, was a guest speaker. She spoke of how, after Sept. 11, the Japanese community was the first group to show support to Muslims.
"We see history being repeated through government procedure and processes," she said, adding that today, as was in 1942, racial prejudice, war hysteria and a weak government were leading to civil rights violations.
"We have repeated, essentially, what happened in 1942," said California Rep. Mike Honda, who had spent his early childhood in an internment camp in Colorado. He was referring to Muslims living in America that had been registered and deported.
"For the past few years we have fallen asleep," he said. "This evening is a wake-up call, so that acts of the government don't go unchecked by us."
Those who were relocated received redress in 1988 when former President Ronald Reagan signed HR442, which awarded the Japanese $20,000 and a letter of apology from the government, said Kathy Tafeda, a volunteer of the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee.
HR442 is in reference to the 442nd Japanese American Battalion, which fought in World War II and is the most decorated battalion in U.S. history, said Gary Jio of the committee.
More than 2,000 Latin-Japanese Americans who were taken from 13 different countries have yet to receive redress, said Honda.
The evening included a candlelight procession through Japantown and a cultural drum performance by San Jose Taiko.
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