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Vol. 1 Issue 1 September 2020
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Welcome to our September Newsletter
The Manzanar Committee has gone digital!
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Welcome to the Manzanar Committee's first newsletter!
Every month, we will be publishing a wide range of articles dealing with civil rights, Executive Order 9066 and the forced removal of Japanese/Japanese Americans during World War II, and other issues of interest to our community.
The history of the Japanese American community in the United States is rich, in many ways. The struggles and triumphs have been, and are, shaped by our community's efforts and by broader political and social dynamics. Our experience offers important lessons, most notably, for the struggle against systemic racism, but also for the preservation of democracy. We want to share our stories to educate ourselves and to draw out how our experience holds important lessons for our country's future.
Please let us know what you think!
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Manzanar Committee Decries Racist Violence
Targeting African Americans
The Manzanar Committee condemns the current wave of racist violence directed against the African American community, especially the recent murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd.
As survivors and descendants of America’s World War II concentration camps, we stand with the Black community and raise our voices and channel our collective rage, despair, and grief to challenge white supremacy. We cannot remain silent in the face of injustice.
To read more on the Manzanar Committee's stance click the link below:
https://manzanarcommittee.org/2020/05/31/civilunrest-may2020/
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Statement by Patrisse Cullors, Executive Director, Black Lives Matter Global Network on the Attempted Murder of Jacob Blake
On Sunday, August 23, another Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot in the back seven times in front of his three children, by police officers in Kenosha, WI while attempting to enter his car.
We are grieved by Jacob's attempted murder and outraged that even after the global watershed of protest following the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Jayne Thompson in close succession, we have found ourselves here, again, demanding justice for the excessive use of force by law enforcement against a Black life.
To read the rest of Ms Cullors' statement, click the link below:
Statement by Patrisse Cullors, Executive Director, Black Lives Matter Global Network on the Attempted Murder of Jacob Blake |
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Unconstitutional Use of Force
Condemned by Manzanar Committee
The Manzanar Committee condemns the Trump Administration and the Department of Homeland Security's move to send federal agents into major cities around the country. To read more on our stance, click the link below:
https://manzanarcommittee.org/2020/07/28/unconstitutional-deploy/
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Nisei Week Virtual Series: Social Justice
Over the August 15th weekend, Nisei Week had a virtual series that showcased several community organizations and videos. One of the videos shown was on Speaking Up and Social Justice. Click the link below to watch the video on their YouTube channel. NISEI WEEK 2020 VIRTUAL SERIES - Speaking Up & Social Justice |
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Lane Hirabayashi, scholar of Japanese American history, dies
Lane Ryo Hirabayashi, a prolific scholar whose work expanded the research of the Japanese American experience, died earlier this month after a bout with cancer. He was 67.
His lifelong commitment to Japanese American history followed "in the footsteps of his uncle Gordon Hirabayashi who defied curfew and evacuations orders during World War II and his father, James Hirabayashi, the first dean of Ethnic Studies in the country at San Francisco State University," said friend Akemi Kikumura Yano, former CEO of JANM
Nichi Bei Weekly Report 8/27/2020
Four Reflections on Lane Hirabayashi
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The LAPD and Japanese Americans
This is not the first time in LAPD history where there has been biased policing against an ethnic minority group. Following the outbreak of WW II, the LAPD unjustly intervened against the Japanese American community. To read more, click on the link from the Rafu below:
photo of LA Mayor Fletcher Bowron
photo from LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY HERALD-EXAMINER COLLECTION
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Manzanar Committee Members Show Their Support At Wilson Park Rally
In response to recent racist incidents at Charles H. Wilson Park in Torrance, CA, more than 100 joined together at the park on July 11th to protest the inaction of the Torrance city attorney, who declines to file charges for the incidents, citing insufficient evidence. Members of the Manzanar Committee participated in the protest, including Martha Porter, who is pictured in the Rafu story on the protest. "I'm here because we have to stop the hate. It's hurting my family, my friends," Porter said. "We're against discrimination, it's too much, it's hurtful."
Rafu- Protesters demand Torrance DA address anti-Asian hate incidents at Wilson Park
Photo by Mario Reyes, courtesy Rafu Shimpo.
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"NONE OF US ARE FREE UNTIL ALL OF US ARE FREE"
Courtesy of the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee and Tadaima:
“The panelists—a Haitian immigrant, a child of Indian immigrants and a descendant of incarcerated Japanese Americans, respectively—discuss how they each came to abolition work. The discussion will cover what the words abolition and defunding mean in practical terms and why solidarity during this uprising for Black lives is—and has always been—vital. The speakers will also share pressing issues within communities they serve and practical things that individuals can do to be a part of this liberation work.” |
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75th Anniversary of Atomic Bombs
"An aging group of survivors have expressed a growing sense of urgency to tell their stories, in hopes of reaching younger generations to continue their effort toward establishing a nuclear-free world."
To read the article posted on CTV News, click here
photo from Kyodo News via AP
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Upcoming Events
Sept 4, 18, Oct 2: Unpacking Anti-Blackness More Info
Sept. 6: Okaeri Connects! Online Gathering Register Here
Sept 15th: Muslims at Manzanar: A Civil Rights Journey Register through JANM
Sept 26th: Coming Out and Coming Home: Documenting the Voices of Queer Japanese Americans. Online Panel, Register though JANM
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Do you want to learn more???
Every month we will be providing resources that everyone can use. For this month we compiled a list of books to read about the Japanese American Concentration Camps. Click here if you would like to see our list of Suggested Books. |
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