When Hiroshi Kashiwagi was born in a boarding house in Sacramento, Calif. on Nov. 8, 1922, no one imagined that he would become a successful activist, writer, playwright, actor, and a poet of such regard that he would be known as the “Poet Laureate of Tule Lake.” Although his first book, “Swimming in the American: […]
TULE LAKE ICON PASSES: Hiroshi Kashiwagi was a noted poet, playwright, author, actor and symbol of wartime resistance
November 7, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Japanese Latin Americans receive favorable hearing; ruling may not come for years
March 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment
WASHINGTON — Isamu Carlos “Art” Shibayama and the Campaign for Justice: Redress Now for Japanese Latin Americans! delegation appeared to have received a favorable hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights March 21, but an official ruling may not be expected for years. The IACHR is an independent agency of the Organization of American […]
10 Resign from President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs
March 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders submitted their resignations Feb. 15 to President (Donald) Trump. The main reason: Trump’s policies have adversely affected Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Six other Commissioners — Nina Ahmad, Lian Cheun, Diane Narasaki, Shekar Narasimhan, Bo Thao-Urabe, and Paul Watanabe — had resigned in January. “We […]
OUT OF THE SHADOWS OF INFAMY: Nikkei resistance during World War II
January 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Contrary to the stereotype that Japanese Americans during World War II never questioned the constitutionality of the United States concentration camps and willingly went in to the camps and even served in the Army from the camps, hundreds of Japanese Americans took part in all forms of protests, including legal, as well as physical ones. […]
A historical anthology on redress
July 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
NEGLECTED LEGACIES: Japanese American Women and the Redress/Reparations Movement Edited by Lane Ryo Hirabayashi Special issue of “PAN-JAPAN: The International Journal of the Japanese Diaspora” Normal, Ill.: (Spring/Fall 2011: Volume 7, Numbers 1 & 2, 197 pp., $12.50, paperback) In this 2011 PAN-JAPAN special issue, guest editor Lane Ryo Hirabayashi, an Asian American studies professor […]
Tule Lake, the consequences
August 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: On Aug. 2, the National Park Service (NPS) held a meeting at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo with community stakeholders about planning the Tule Lake Unit of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. Similar meetings were held in San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose in Northern California. […]
Deporting ‘troublemakers’ redux
February 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Time of Remembrance observances are coming up in another few weeks, a good time to do something to assure, “never again.” This year, in the context of the National Defense Authorization Act that provides for indefinite military detention of the accused, we need to be more vigilant than ever, especially with two companion pieces of […]
Letter to President Obama Re: Indefinite military detention
January 12, 2012 by 1 Comment
January 10, 2012 The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear President Obama, Before I begin, I must say that I have the utmost respect for the Office of the President, and I want to thank you for the job you are doing […]
A lifelong relationship: Citizens and the state
January 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
PRISONS AND PATRIOTS: Japanese American Wartime Citizenship, Civil Disobedience, and Historical Memory By Cherstin M. Lyon (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2011, 233 pp., $30.95, paperback) “Prisons and Patriots” is Cherstin Lyon’s first book. Its publication catapults Professor Lyon, a historian at California State University, San Bernardino, into the ranks of the premier scholars of World […]
JACL statement on ‘Allegiance’
(Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt of a statement released by the Japanese American Citizens League on “Allegiance — A New American Musical.”) WASHINGTON — The Japanese American Citizens League is the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the United States. JACL commends the producers and writers of “Allegiance — A […]