Contemporary Movements: Issue Research Project by

What was the Japanese-American Incarceration During World War II?

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 00:11:28 UTC

The forced removal and internment of about 120,000 Japanese Americans—of whom two-thirds were citizens of the United States—from the West Coast of the country to internment camps during World War II is known as the Japanese-American internment. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, a few months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, which led to this action.

The executive order gave the Secretary of War the authority to declare specific regions to be military zones and to bar people from entering them. Americans of Japanese descent, including citizens of the United States, were singled out by the government of the United States for possible threats of espionage and sabotage. Racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and baseless suspicions against Japanese Americans led to this decision.

Japanese American Internment Overview

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 00:22:52 UTC

This video does a great job of providing background on how and why Japanese Americans were forcibly moved into internment camps during World War II.

United States map of internment camps

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 00:38:30 UTC

This map depicts the 10 locations of internment camps around the country during the three years. Tule Lake, California, was known to be the worst out of all the camps as it housed dissidents, or those who opposed the overall segregation of Japanese Americans. According to the National Park Service, this location is now reserved as a national monument and memorial for those who were subject to living there. This map is a great example of identity diaspora, during and after this difficult time in history, a group of people who shared a common cultural and ethnic identity managed to deal with forced migration, maintain their identity, and find a place in American society.

Reality of Living in a WWII Japanese Internment Camp

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 01:09:14 UTC

This video is an interview with Satsuki Ina, who was born in the Tule Lake segregation camp. She describes her mother's experience as being a pregnant woman twice in these camps and the conditions in which they lived. This eye-witness account is so disheartening but a great piece of evidence and history into the atrocity that was the Japanese Internment.

Interview with George Takei on Late Night with Seth Meyers

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 01:16:54 UTC

In this interview, Takei, Star Trek movie star, described the day when US soldiers forcibly removed him and his family from his home. He describes the feelings provoked by his experience and the horse stall where he initially lived when arriving at the camp.

Kids Meet a Survivor of the Japanese-American Internment

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 01:28:06 UTC

This video is formatted where three groups of kids are introduced to Shokichi Tokita, who is a Japanese-American who was placed in an internment camp, or a concentration camp as described by him. It was very interesting to see how the children reacted to the conditions Tokita was placed in, as one of the children even identified how he experienced racism. Shokichi described his experience in Minidoka, Idaho, where he lived with his parents and seven siblings.

Public opinion poll on Japanese internment

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 01:39:48 UTC

This graphic shows the staggering statistics of Americans who believed the US was doing the right thing by moving Japanese "aliens" away from the Pacific coast. However, an increased amount of citizens believed natural-born Japanese Americans shouldn't be moved, 60% still held the same belief. This graphic shows the overall American mindset during this time of war. This graphic could also demonstrates how, in times of crisis, identity politics can collide with more general narratives, resulting in the scapegoating of particular communities on the basis of their identities. As seen in the second pie chart, many Americans didn't know what to believe or how to react to what was going on at the time.

% Population of Japanese Ancestry Alone or in combination

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 02:55:39 UTC

The graphic shown above depicts the origin of where Japanese Americans lived during the time of World War II. As you can see at the bottom, the majority of the Japanese population was located in Hawaii, although those citizens were not transported to an internment camp on the mainland. The reason for this was that 1/3 of Hawaii's population was Japanese, and was a crucial group of people that the economy needed for their labor to continue. But right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, martial law was imposed in Hawaii, and the Army issued hundreds of military directives, some of which were exclusive to people with Japanese ancestry. Since the rest of the population was located on the west coast, which is the closest part of the country to Japan, the US was concerned with national security in case of foreign Japanese spies, infiltrating the country.

Japanese American incarceration camps testimonial

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 03:07:09 UTC

This video follows Aki Kurose, a young Japanese-American teenager who was incarcerated in one of the internment camps. The video goes over the basic conditions of the camps and the background to why the US was doing such things. Later in life, Aki Kurose became a teacher and activist who dedicated her life to using pacifism to promote social justice and education. She promoted desegregation, worked to enhance education, and improved her community through her peaceful and nonviolent beliefs. She was even awarded the Human Rights Award from the Seattle Chapter of the United Nations. Aki could be identified as a "Global Citizen" as described by Hugh Evans in his Ted Talk, "What Does it Mean to be Citizen of the World", as she committed her life to social justice, even joining the Congress of Racial Equality.

Economic impact of Japanese Internment

creedeaj — 2023-12-02 03:10:31 UTC

As shown in the graphic, even after Japanese-Americans were freed, economic inequality plagued the population as they were sent back to their previous residences with no money or support.

US anti-Japanese Propaganda

creedeaj — 2023-12-11 23:09:22 UTC

This photo can be related to Chimamanda Adichie's Ted Talk "The Danger of a Single Story". In her talk, she describes the dangers of relying on a single story or narrative to identify and define a group of people, creating and spreading stereotypes about certain ethnicities. That is exactly what the US was trying to do to try and expose Japanese people as being spies and traitors to the US.

President Ronald Reagan signing The Civil Liberties Act of 1988

creedeaj — 2023-12-12 00:12:11 UTC

The act gave survivors of the Japanese American internment financial compensation and issued an official apology for the internment. A sum of $20,000 was given to each qualified person who had been detained or carried away against their will during the conflict. The Civil Liberties Public Education Fund was also established by the act to advance knowledge and comprehension of the unjust internment. If we apply an intersectional lens to it, the identities and social positions of those affected by the internment, we can better comprehend the complex and varied experiences of those who were affected by the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

Japanese Canadian seniors reflect on being forced into internment camps

creedeaj — 2023-12-12 01:49:33 UTC

When conducting research, I found that from 1942 to 1949, Canada forcibly relocated over 22,000 Japanese Canadians, over 90% of the Japanese Canadian population from British Columbia following suit of the US. In this video, Japanese Canadian seniors reflected on their experience in the camps.

Incarceration of Japanese Mexicans

creedeaj — 2023-12-12 02:19:21 UTC

This article covers how the new book, "Uprooting Community", studies the lived experiences of Japanese Mexicans in the borderlands between the United States and Mexico during World War II. In fact, the Japanese Mexicans that were incarcerated and sent to the US ranged from 2,700 and 4,700, just showing that most of North America was involved in this seriously racist act.

US anti-Japanese Propaganda Cont.

creedeaj — 2023-12-12 02:31:08 UTC

This image is another form of propaganda to help sell war bonds. It is an example of the US poking fun at Japanese-Americans who missed work due to their absence since being placed in internment camps.