First Published: Unity, Vol. 3, No. 21, November 7-21, 1980.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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On the weekend of November 15-16, the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations (NCRR) will be holding a national conference in Los Angeles. This conference will bring together community activists and concerned people from throughout the nation to share ideas in developing a common strategy for seeking monetary reparations for losses and injuries suffered by Japanese Americans and others as a result of the World War II concentration camp experience.
This conference will represent a milestone in the movement to seek redress/reparations from the U.S. government for their racist actions taken against the Japanese American people. The reparations movement is a growing one and has shown its ability to bring together people of all generations and backgrounds.
As a Sansei (third generation Japanese American) and activist in the NCRR, my experience has made me keenly aware of the significance of the reparations struggle. The camps represent a blatant and singular act of national oppression that has linked all Japanese people in the U.S. in a common struggle. The impact of the camps on Japanese Americans individually and collectively was considerable. Beyond the incalculable economic losses was the devastating impact of the camp experience upon the identity and culture of Japanese American people. The forced eviction and incarceration forced many to reject their own culture and identity as a people in order to survive by proving their loyalty as “super-Americans.” In this way, the concentration camps have forever stunted and distorted the development of Japanese Americans as a people.
In response to the community’s demand for reparations, the U.S. government has predictably established a Presidential “study commission” to determine whether wrongs were committed by the government from their actions against Japanese Americans. This commission will be holding hearings throughout the nation during the coming year and will be aimed at having Japanese Americans try to ’ ’prove’’ that wrongs occurred as a basis of recommending what action the government should take, if any. Many so-called “community leaders” will try to work in collusion with the government to ensure that the hearings are a mockery by trying to place the Japanese people rather than the government on trial.
To ensure that the demand for monetary compensation is made and responded to, the NGRR will be mobilizing community support at the commission hearings. In doing this, the NCRR will be fighting to ensure that it is the people rather than the politicians or the government who are heard.
If reparations are to be won, the people must be united. Thus, the aim of the NCRR is to work with all groups and individuals who support the demand for direct monetary compensation. For this reason, the NCRR has worked with other groups such as the Japanese American Citizens League and the National Council for Japanese American Redress on a principled basis in creating a broad coalition of community forces fighting for reparations.
Reparations is an important issue today because it speaks to Japanese Americans uniting with others to demand justice and an end to national oppression. It serves to link the history of oppression faced by Japanese people with the current struggle being waged today to defend our communities and gain vital human services. The reparations movement has thus brought increasing numbers of Japanese Americans into the broader fight against national oppression.
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Alan Nishio is the director of Student Development Programs at California State University at Long Beach and a member of the NCRR.