2008 Woodie Awards
In light of a past injustice
Interned Japanese from WWII honored in Sunday's ceremony
Colleen Watson
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: News
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A candle is lit.
Ten more candles are lit, and with each tiny flame, a name, state and number are read. Each candle represents an internment camp where, according to the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee, more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent were interned during World War II.
A map in the back of the auditorium of the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin in Japantown showed where the different internment camps were located, stretching from California into Arkansas. In the front, near the podium, was a replica guard tower.
Sunday was a day of remembrance, celebrated now for 28 years in San Jose by the outreach committee - remembrance of Feb. 19, 1942, when President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which allowed the removal of people of Japanese ancestry to internment camps.
About 200 people filled the gym, 100 had never been there before.
Jennifer Lee, a junior psychology major, was there for extra credit in her Aikido class, a Japanese-derived martial art, but came away with something more than class participation points.
"I felt like it gave me more awareness about Civil Rights," she said. "It's not just about the past. It's happening right now."
Though the day was in memory of what happened more than 60 years ago, another major theme of the night was that of vigilance - and to make sure that what happened to the Japanese community wouldn't happen again.
Jimi Yamaichi, who spent four years in three internment camps starting when he was 20, said, "My face was my crime because I looked different."
Now he worries that the same thing is happening after Sept. 11.
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