What A Shame
On December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan and WWII was underway. This was not the only thing about to begin. About 120,000 people of Japanese descent would be viciously treated and forced into internment camps, where most would stay for years and many would die. To the U.S. Government, it did not matter whether or not these people were from America or not. If you looked somewhat Japanese, that was enough to get you thrown into the camps.
Today there stands a memorial on the corner of 2nd Street and San Carlos, remembering all those who were wrongfully accused, held, and killed. Ruth Asawa -- an internee herself, sculpted various vignettes along a wall, giving viewers a chance to see what real, intense, emotional and painful moments occurred during that time. There are many pictures and various pieces of art in the building. The memorial is split into various sections, with each one adding something special to Asawa. Whether it be the Japanese arriving in the United States or Asawa herself being forced to live in horse stalls, each section brought out many emotions inside of me.
During this time, many of the Japanese were living in Northern California and San Jose. In fact, SJSU was a place where the Japanese would register before being sent off to the camps. For this reason, SJSU played a pretty important role during this time of evil.
One piece that stood out to me was entitled "Hysteria of War". I thought that this vignette painted a perfect picture of the stupidity and evil that went on some time ago. The vignette showed exactly what it was titled, hysteria. I could only imagine the stress, anxiety, and depression that many of these Japanese families had to go through. Not only did they have to worry about the simples things like food and shelter, they had to always be wondering if they would be separated from their family, or how long they would have to stay in the camp, or worst of all, they had to wonder if they would make it to the next day. This vignette really struck a chord with me. It angered me that America could be so ignorant just a few decades ago.
Another vignette that really got me was a man being pulled away by the F.B.I. I don't know why, but this one really made me think about my own family. The authorities who pulled these men away from their families had absolutely no respect or remorse. I'm sure they did not tell the Japanese why they were there or where they would be going. If I were a child and some strange men took my father away, I would be absolutely devastated. I could only imagine what it must have been like for the children and wives of these men who were torn away from everything they knew. It does not seem like the justice system was used back then. Apparently racial profiling and breaking laws did not matter back then. Just imagine if today, post Sept. 11, our government rounded up thousands of people who simply looked Middle Eastern. This would be a complete crime and outrage. I am glad to see that our country as a whole has made strides forward since the time of WWII.
What happened to the people of Japanese descent just after the bombing of WWII makes me -- for a moment -- embarrassed to call myself an American. I wish I could visit every Japanese family who were effected by all of this and apologize to everyone of them on behalf of my ignorant country.
Today there stands a memorial on the corner of 2nd Street and San Carlos, remembering all those who were wrongfully accused, held, and killed. Ruth Asawa -- an internee herself, sculpted various vignettes along a wall, giving viewers a chance to see what real, intense, emotional and painful moments occurred during that time. There are many pictures and various pieces of art in the building. The memorial is split into various sections, with each one adding something special to Asawa. Whether it be the Japanese arriving in the United States or Asawa herself being forced to live in horse stalls, each section brought out many emotions inside of me.
During this time, many of the Japanese were living in Northern California and San Jose. In fact, SJSU was a place where the Japanese would register before being sent off to the camps. For this reason, SJSU played a pretty important role during this time of evil.
One piece that stood out to me was entitled "Hysteria of War". I thought that this vignette painted a perfect picture of the stupidity and evil that went on some time ago. The vignette showed exactly what it was titled, hysteria. I could only imagine the stress, anxiety, and depression that many of these Japanese families had to go through. Not only did they have to worry about the simples things like food and shelter, they had to always be wondering if they would be separated from their family, or how long they would have to stay in the camp, or worst of all, they had to wonder if they would make it to the next day. This vignette really struck a chord with me. It angered me that America could be so ignorant just a few decades ago.
Another vignette that really got me was a man being pulled away by the F.B.I. I don't know why, but this one really made me think about my own family. The authorities who pulled these men away from their families had absolutely no respect or remorse. I'm sure they did not tell the Japanese why they were there or where they would be going. If I were a child and some strange men took my father away, I would be absolutely devastated. I could only imagine what it must have been like for the children and wives of these men who were torn away from everything they knew. It does not seem like the justice system was used back then. Apparently racial profiling and breaking laws did not matter back then. Just imagine if today, post Sept. 11, our government rounded up thousands of people who simply looked Middle Eastern. This would be a complete crime and outrage. I am glad to see that our country as a whole has made strides forward since the time of WWII.
What happened to the people of Japanese descent just after the bombing of WWII makes me -- for a moment -- embarrassed to call myself an American. I wish I could visit every Japanese family who were effected by all of this and apologize to everyone of them on behalf of my ignorant country.
1 comment:
What a shame, indeed. Maybe the only good thing about the internment is that we now find it outrageous.
Be careful about implying that many internees were killed in the internment camps. They were held for 4-5 years, yes, and some surely died of old age or illness, but people were not "put to death" in these camps.
19/20
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