Internment Camps - Essay Example

Yasuko and Kati Hatamiya, 13thDecember 1981 24, Green Road, Park Drive, Los Angeles Dear Mom and Dad, How are you? I hope both of you are doing well. It has been quite some time since we last talked which is why I am writing this letter. I am fine and I hope everything at you end is fine too. I realize that you are not in support of the movement for redress and reparation, and more so, of my participation in it. What I wish to do is to try to make you understand why I am choosing to take a stand here, and I would really appreciate it if you stood by my side. Most of the Nisei look at us and their eyes say, "you werent even born when we were in those camps, what do you care?” That is one big misconception - those camps were home to the both of you, my aunts and uncles, your friends. How could they not be a part of my life or not weigh heavily in my heart? Everyone carries history on their back. Well, this is mine and it is my social and moral responsibility to correct any wrongs done to my people; mainly my parents. At the time when I was born, everyone was trying to move on from the past and assimilate in the society. While you took me to Buddhist Church where I felt like I belonged, when I would step out, I would feel strange. I noticed that Japanese always stuck together, and had this complex that white people were better than us. On some level, I blamed the Japanese for not stepping out of their comfort zone and breaking off from the herd, not actually realizing how hard and out of depth that would make me feel when I did that. What hurt me the most and perhaps what I struggle to understand is the reason why you chose to never disclose any information about the internment camps. At first, I had little idea about the existence of these camps. Yes, you would mention it in passing but I always figured you meant some sort of a summer camp. To find out that these camps were not summer retreats that you went off to but concentration camps where you and so many others were herded in, not because of what you had done but because of who you were. Knowing all of this now, I am in utter awe of the strength and resilience that you and mom displayed. Having been through all of that, yet you manage to smile, laugh, and live your life as you do. I remember as a child, I was told to blend in, but to excel in every field I set my foot in because that is how I would set myself apart and be indispensible. Basically I had to be as American as possible while never forgetting that I am Japanese. This did come in handy for me because I got into one of the best schools for my undergraduate program. A place where all the change started from; Asians started demanding that we be taught our original history and give admissions to make up for all the years of discrimination. It was then that I learned about the camps, how it had so little to do with military strategy but actually a culmination of bias that had started from the day our ancestors first set foot on American soil. It was in those days that everything fell into place for me that you, my parents, had given me the best life possible here but yourself had struggled with decades of bias. How could I just leave everything be and not give back to the community that I am an integral part of. I have been reading up on literature and talking to people who open up about their experiences in those camps so that I could try and understand your position here. A lot of people ask, ‘Why did the Nisei just evacuate without any protest?’ I think I understand some of it; everything was in the balance at that time. Your loyalty to the country that you had been born in was being called to question, so you offered no resistance. In my opinion, that was the best thing to do then, because there might have been massive retaliation to resistance. What’s beyond my understanding is why not put the government under the spotlight to answer your questions regarding the motives behind the internment now? During the time when we were trying to assimilate, we lost sight of where we come from; we lost our culture and heritage. Now I finally understand that Japanese American communities are actually a beacon of hope and are keeping some of our culture alive by not letting us divide and be lost among the sea of ethnicities. One of the biggest steps taken to building back that Japanese pride and honor is the reparation movement, which is why I support it whole heartedly. People just like the both of you, traumatized by their time in camps, are coming forward. Lips that have been sealed for 40 years are opening and sharing their stories, demanding that their pain and suffering be heard and compensated for. Honest working Japanese families were uprooted from their homes and asked to move elsewhere just because of vague suspicions and deep rooted prejudices. I recently went to a Commissions hearing, where so many people recounted their tales of living in those camps. The sad part is that most of them were very young at that time, having to live out your childhood in such hard circumstances is unthinkable for many of us who were so blessed to have such charmed lives. I realize that living in those camps is associated with feelings of humiliation and embarrassment but speaking out against them is empowering and a show of courage and strength. What we are fighting for, in this movement for reparation and redressing, is that justice be served and monetary compensation be given to all the affected people. I know what you will say, mom, you and dad don’t need the money but in essence, it’s not about the money. Citizens living in a country have some constitutional rights, no matter what their ethnicity is, war time hysteria just does not seem to be a good enough reason to run a group of them out of their own towns. My friends and I who are taking an active part in this movement will not benefit monetarily but we’re invested in the cause so that something like this doesn’t happen in the future. This movement has done so much for Japanese American people in these last few years, like bring all the members of the society closer to each other and healing mental and psychological wounds so that we would finally be able to move forward. I read that a lot of parents never told their children about their time in camps because they thought that they would be indifferent since it didn’t happen to them. I would never want you to think that, it would mean the world to me if you share your experience with me. I would also request that you give the reparation movement a chance, and come forward with your own stories; it might just serve as closure for you. You, mom and dad, gave me a brilliant life here and made me feel like I could amount to anything and I just want to thank you in some small way by urging you to go through with this. It will be a big step for you but a leap for the entire Japanese American community. When future generations will ask what we did about the camps, we can hold our head high and say that we fought tooth and nail to get justice for the wrong done to our people. Much love, Lisa Hatamiya Read More