Statement:

Day of Remembrance: Japanese American community demand for a public apology by Representative Howard Coble on the anniversary of Executive Order 9066

Members of the NOSEI Network, the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee and the Japanese American community gather together this morning, the 61^st anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, to join the growing demand for a public apology by Representative Howard Coble (R-NC) and call for his resignation as chairperson of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. The Internment of US citizens and immigrants of Japanese ancestry was one of the worst constitutional violations in our country's history. And as the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians reported to President Reagan and the Congress in 1983, the denial of constitutional rights of Japanese Americans during WWII is attributed to 'race prejudice, war hysteria, and the failure of political leadership.'

Furthermore:

These historical facts demonstrate the impact of policies made based upon racial profiling and ethnic scape-goating. Given the magnitude of such decision-making 61 years ago, it is especially intolerable that the current Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, Representative Howard Coble (R-N.C.) could publicly support these actions, and would attempt to justify them as being done for the 'safety' of Japanese Americans. Coble's actions serve to lay historical justification for current day restrictions and internment. After September 11, 2001, there were a reported 1,200 men, virtually all of Arab, South Asian descent or Muslim faith that were detained even though none were ever indicted for terrorist activity.

Furthermore, in the past few months, 'special registration' of men from selected nations has resulted in large numbers of Muslim men and boys being detained without judicial review.

Representative Coble's remarks underscore the need for continuing public education---especially of our elected government officials and lawmakers. 15 years ago, President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided a Presidential apology and symbolic payment of $20,000.00 to some of the surviving internees, evacuees, and persons of Japanese ancestry who lost liberty or property because of discriminatory action by the Federal government during World War II. The Civil Liberties Act also designated $50 million towards the creation of the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund to continue public education about Internment. However, only $5 million was awarded to these efforts. We demand that funding for the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund be restored to its original amount.

In sum, members of the NOSEI Network, the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee and the Japanese American community call for:

(1)  An immediate public apology and resignation of Representative Howard Coble as chairman of the committee on homeland security.

(2)  We call on our elected officials to back the Wartime Parity & Justice Act that would (a) re-establish the Civil Liberties Education Fund to ensure the continued education and awareness of the injustice of Japanese American internment, (b) to ensure the just redress of Japanese American and Japanese Latin Americans who never received just redress.

(3)  We call on Congress to support Representative Honda's bill to make February 19: Day of Remembrance Day.

Our community makes these demands because the legacy of decisions made by 'race prejudice, war hysteria, and the failure of political leadership' are still being felt today. Now more than ever, we need to be vigilant to see that history does not repeat itself. We do not want to have to be fighting for the redress and reparations of Arab Americans, South Asian and other currently targeted communities. Never again.

 

The Nosei Network is comprised of communities of socially conscious, young people and adults of Japanese descent, both here in the United States and in Japan. Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC) is a Japanese American community organization in San Jose and a founding member of the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations (NCRR).