[Applause]
how many of you are familiar with the
japanese-american incarceration oh thank
you and good night
you guys are wonderful I was a prisoner
of war during World War two held by my
own country that was six years old this
is my prison number one two five one two
five two four I’m the letter D the
family had one two five two four my
family and I were incarcerated for three
and a half years in post in Arizona
during World War two as a teacher I
would ask my students sometimes on the
first day of school draw an American for
me okay take out a piece of paper and
draw an American cookie okay and then I
would go around the room and check the
drawings and sometimes the drawings
would be of a stick figure okay not much
better than kindergarten uh excuse me
Marsha okay but Marsha is a kindergarten
teacher
my wife dropped an American for me you
got somebody in mind hmm
how many of you okay thought of drawing
a woman thank you
a majority of Americans are women who
says it’s a man’s world men women can do
everything a man can do and more how
many of you thought of drawing a blonde
blue-eyed hunk of a guy that Hitler
would have been so proud of you
too many Americans wasp is the American
white anglo-saxon Protestant if you’re
not white anglo-saxon Protestant you’re
not really an American yeah you know I’m
not Japanese I’ve never been Japanese
I’m an American of Japanese ancestry
my father was Japanese my mother was
Japanese but I’m not Japanese when I go
to Japan and I speak they too laughs and
I go we don’t talk like that anymore
they know I’m a guy gene a foreigner
when I was in London shopping and had a
nice conversation with the sales lady
and at the end she says oh you Yanks
she’s looking at me and I’m a Yank but
in this country in parts of this country
I’m a damn job hmm and I don’t mean just
the south they’re parts of Idaho Montana
and North Dakota as such yes it’s kind
of dangerous for me to travel hmm racism
still prevails in this country after
9/11 the attack on the Twin Towers in
New York there was talk about rounding
up all the Arabs and Muslims Americans
in this country and incarcerated them in
concentration camps now to his credit
george w bush the president he called
the cabinet meeting and he told his
cabinet members we’re not going to do to
the Arab and Muslim Americans in this
country what we did to norm Mineta and
his family and all talk about rounding
up there the Muslims
stopped and we were grateful
now why was norm his family and 120,000
Japanese and japanese-americans
two-thirds were
American citizens from Washington Oregon
and California incarcerated after the
attack on Pearl Harbor
well Cabrillo College instructor sandy
Lydon historian emeritus said the
Japanese strawberry farmer of
Watsonville had nothing to do with the
attack on Pearl Harbor did you know that
there were a hundred and fifty-eight
thousand Japanese and japanese-americans
living in the territory of Hawaii it
wasn’t a state yet who were not
incarcerated with the exception of about
two thousand there in the war zone well
they needed the Japanese and
japanese-americans in Hawaii to run the
economy of Hawaii they were the
plurality there were 37 percent of the
population the census was taken in 1940
their general Earthman said it’s not
necessary to do this there’s no plans
for sabotage we who were 2,500 miles
away from the war zone we get
incarcerated why I have to take you back
a little bit in American history United
States Constitution legalized slavery
the US government condone and practice
racism the Naturalization Act of 1790
Asians cannot become citizens of the
United States the Cherokee Nation you’ve
heard of the Trail of Tears they were
forced out of their homes Dred Scott
decision uses slave even free territory
they’re anti at Irish Catholic mentality
in this country there were signs that
were printed and displayed no Irish need
apply
hmm Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 police
versus Ferguson separate bedico how can
the separate be eagle a mitchell Palmer
Raids 1919-1920 for communists and and
Jews two were deported without trial
just placed on the ship and shipped out
Immigration Act of 1924 Japanese could
not come to this country any more Fred
Korematsu case our history is a history
of racism discrimination regarding
immigration as well in the early 20th
century it was said in the newspapers
that examiner the chronicle the
McClatchy papers you know Sacramento Bee
Fresno Bee ham The Sentinel that the
Japanese race is an alien race which can
never be assimilated into the American
Way of life there’s nothing of value of
Japanese culture hmm nothing of value
how many vegan sushi oh yeah sure she’s
good for you what about Banzai he kept
on a flower arranging origami wax on wax
off cut out a Japanese culture is rich
and so many enjoy participating in
Japanese culture to make sure the
Japanese did not assimilate into this
country the laws were passed Asians
could not own property marry whites
become citizens of the United States
after the attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7 1941 John elder whipped
commander of the Western as 4th army at
the Presidio of San Francisco had the
ear of the President of the United
States he said a Japs a Jap it makes no
difference whether that Jap is a citizen
or not Jed ku Hoover said mr. president
we don’t need to do this Francis Biddle
who was the Attorney General at the time
said mr. president I don’t think we we
can do this there were no lawsuits filed
on our behalf
executive order 9066 it’s past 75 years
ago you know there was a one group
nationally one group that supported us
the American Quakers the American
friends they’re the only ones nationally
not even the ACLU supported us locally
luckily we had some friends city
attorney of Watsonville with John
McCarthy our police chief Matt graves
screw teach public schoolteachers and
many others supported us you know with
their reward they were called Jap lovers
for supporting us
they had their homes and cars vandalized
and they were among the very first to
welcome us back we had some very dear
friends in 1942 our homes were searched
without search warrants the FBI came
into our homes they got the information
from the bureau of the census the bureau
of the census not supposed to do that
we were hacked
there were no trials except for four
people but for the rest of us we had no
charges no attorneys no due process of
law
this the Constitution of the United
States cease to exist for us
from camp there were ten major camps and
from camps art men and women volunteered
to serve in the United States Armed
Forces the men many of them were in the
hundred 442nd Regimental Combat Team the
most decorated arming unit for its size
and length of service my two brothers
were in the MIS military intelligence
service because they could read and
write Japanese they went to Japanese
school after high school each day they
fought against the Japanese we use the
Japanese language has a weapon against
the Japanese the MIS stayed after the
war with the restoration occupation
restoration of Japan their service
during the war saved countless American
and Japanese lives it is estimated that
is shortened a war by two years Congress
formally acknowledged the work of the
hundred 442nd in MI ass with a
Congressional Gold Medal we’re grateful
our forced removal was a legal right No
no it’s legal the government of United
States can’t evict anyone from their
homes if under the guise of military
necessity today we won’t use that term
would use the term national security
Congress and the president apologized
for her wartime experience Civil
Liberties Act was passed on August 10th
1988 we have an official apology you
know of the hundred and twenty thousand
the government expected sixty thousand
to have died and sixty thousand were
still alive but we fooled them eighty
thousand of us were still alive
you see sushi is good for you
there’s only one race that’s the human
race there are those who wish to
classify us you know oh you’re Caucasian
American you’re asian-american you’re
Hispanic American or black American now
it’s only one race you know dogs have we
call them German Shepherd and French
poodles and Chihuahuas what they go to
anybody huh right they’re colorblind
I wish humans or colorblind
today the present administration is
constantly issuing new executive orders
and policies regarding immigration
contrary to the spirit of America
fortunately now
we have the Southern Poverty Law Center
the American Civil Liberties Union we
have so many groups and individuals
supporting what really is of true
America something we didn’t see in 1942
will it happen again memory is short no
not under the guise of military
necessity so who’s the biggest threat
some suspect it would be the reporters
and producers of faith in Jews it
doesn’t have to be an individual or
group okay add national group a racial
group it could be an occupation the days
of Walter Cronkite the conscious of
America are long gone now we have the
internet radio talk show hosts TV
commentators I’m grateful to be living
here in Santa Cruz County the second
most liberal County in the nation you
know if if you know the history of Santa
Cruz City it wasn’t always that way
yeah minorities were not welcomed in
Santa Cruz growing up I didn’t come to
Santa Cruz very often but I have all
changed how
thanks to Cabrillo College and the
University of Santa Cruz University of
California at Santa Cruz the
intelligentsia came and it changed the
whole county today this is the most
wonderful place in the whole world to
live and I kid you not
Gordon Habashi he was a student at the
University of Washington a Quaker
he was arrested convicted imprisoned the
prosecuting attorneys lied to the judges
yeah he spent some time now his
conviction was vacated not overturned
vacated Gordon hereby she said ancestry
is not a crime today we would add Islam
is not a crime with our newfound energy
we have a lot of work to do you know
there was a gentleman who lived not too
far from Charlottesville Virginia that a
place come on to sell Oh Thomas
Jefferson eternal vigilance is the price
of Liberty it’s up to us all of us to
work in peace and harmony compassion to
overcome hate and bigotry and we can do
it thank you
[Applause]
how many of you are familiar with the
japanese-american incarceration oh thank
you and good night
you guys are wonderful I was a prisoner
of war during World War two held by my
own country that was six years old this
is my prison number one two five one two
five two four I’m the letter D the
family had one two five two four my
family and I were incarcerated for three
and a half years in post in Arizona
during World War two as a teacher I
would ask my students sometimes on the
first day of school draw an American for
me okay take out a piece of paper and
draw an American cookie okay and then I
would go around the room and check the
drawings and sometimes the drawings
would be of a stick figure okay not much
better than kindergarten uh excuse me
Marsha okay but Marsha is a kindergarten
teacher
my wife dropped an American for me you
got somebody in mind hmm
how many of you okay thought of drawing
a woman thank you
a majority of Americans are women who
says it’s a man’s world men women can do
everything a man can do and more how
many of you thought of drawing a blonde
blue-eyed hunk of a guy that Hitler
would have been so proud of you
too many Americans wasp is the American
white anglo-saxon Protestant if you’re
not white anglo-saxon Protestant you’re
not really an American yeah you know I’m
not Japanese I’ve never been Japanese
I’m an American of Japanese ancestry
my father was Japanese my mother was
Japanese but I’m not Japanese when I go
to Japan and I speak they too laughs and
I go we don’t talk like that anymore
they know I’m a guy gene a foreigner
when I was in London shopping and had a
nice conversation with the sales lady
and at the end she says oh you Yanks
she’s looking at me and I’m a Yank but
in this country in parts of this country
I’m a damn job hmm and I don’t mean just
the south they’re parts of Idaho Montana
and North Dakota as such yes it’s kind
of dangerous for me to travel hmm racism
still prevails in this country after
9/11 the attack on the Twin Towers in
New York there was talk about rounding
up all the Arabs and Muslims Americans
in this country and incarcerated them in
concentration camps now to his credit
george w bush the president he called
the cabinet meeting and he told his
cabinet members we’re not going to do to
the Arab and Muslim Americans in this
country what we did to norm Mineta and
his family and all talk about rounding
up there the Muslims
stopped and we were grateful
now why was norm his family and 120,000
Japanese and japanese-americans
two-thirds were
American citizens from Washington Oregon
and California incarcerated after the
attack on Pearl Harbor
well Cabrillo College instructor sandy
Lydon historian emeritus said the
Japanese strawberry farmer of
Watsonville had nothing to do with the
attack on Pearl Harbor did you know that
there were a hundred and fifty-eight
thousand Japanese and japanese-americans
living in the territory of Hawaii it
wasn’t a state yet who were not
incarcerated with the exception of about
two thousand there in the war zone well
they needed the Japanese and
japanese-americans in Hawaii to run the
economy of Hawaii they were the
plurality there were 37 percent of the
population the census was taken in 1940
their general Earthman said it’s not
necessary to do this there’s no plans
for sabotage we who were 2,500 miles
away from the war zone we get
incarcerated why I have to take you back
a little bit in American history United
States Constitution legalized slavery
the US government condone and practice
racism the Naturalization Act of 1790
Asians cannot become citizens of the
United States the Cherokee Nation you’ve
heard of the Trail of Tears they were
forced out of their homes Dred Scott
decision uses slave even free territory
they’re anti at Irish Catholic mentality
in this country there were signs that
were printed and displayed no Irish need
apply
hmm Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 police
versus Ferguson separate bedico how can
the separate be eagle a mitchell Palmer
Raids 1919-1920 for communists and and
Jews two were deported without trial
just placed on the ship and shipped out
Immigration Act of 1924 Japanese could
not come to this country any more Fred
Korematsu case our history is a history
of racism discrimination regarding
immigration as well in the early 20th
century it was said in the newspapers
that examiner the chronicle the
McClatchy papers you know Sacramento Bee
Fresno Bee ham The Sentinel that the
Japanese race is an alien race which can
never be assimilated into the American
Way of life there’s nothing of value of
Japanese culture hmm nothing of value
how many vegan sushi oh yeah sure she’s
good for you what about Banzai he kept
on a flower arranging origami wax on wax
off cut out a Japanese culture is rich
and so many enjoy participating in
Japanese culture to make sure the
Japanese did not assimilate into this
country the laws were passed Asians
could not own property marry whites
become citizens of the United States
after the attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7 1941 John elder whipped
commander of the Western as 4th army at
the Presidio of San Francisco had the
ear of the President of the United
States he said a Japs a Jap it makes no
difference whether that Jap is a citizen
or not Jed ku Hoover said mr. president
we don’t need to do this Francis Biddle
who was the Attorney General at the time
said mr. president I don’t think we we
can do this there were no lawsuits filed
on our behalf
executive order 9066 it’s past 75 years
ago you know there was a one group
nationally one group that supported us
the American Quakers the American
friends they’re the only ones nationally
not even the ACLU supported us locally
luckily we had some friends city
attorney of Watsonville with John
McCarthy our police chief Matt graves
screw teach public schoolteachers and
many others supported us you know with
their reward they were called Jap lovers
for supporting us
they had their homes and cars vandalized
and they were among the very first to
welcome us back we had some very dear
friends in 1942 our homes were searched
without search warrants the FBI came
into our homes they got the information
from the bureau of the census the bureau
of the census not supposed to do that
we were hacked
there were no trials except for four
people but for the rest of us we had no
charges no attorneys no due process of
law
this the Constitution of the United
States cease to exist for us
from camp there were ten major camps and
from camps art men and women volunteered
to serve in the United States Armed
Forces the men many of them were in the
hundred 442nd Regimental Combat Team the
most decorated arming unit for its size
and length of service my two brothers
were in the MIS military intelligence
service because they could read and
write Japanese they went to Japanese
school after high school each day they
fought against the Japanese we use the
Japanese language has a weapon against
the Japanese the MIS stayed after the
war with the restoration occupation
restoration of Japan their service
during the war saved countless American
and Japanese lives it is estimated that
is shortened a war by two years Congress
formally acknowledged the work of the
hundred 442nd in MI ass with a
Congressional Gold Medal we’re grateful
our forced removal was a legal right No
no it’s legal the government of United
States can’t evict anyone from their
homes if under the guise of military
necessity today we won’t use that term
would use the term national security
Congress and the president apologized
for her wartime experience Civil
Liberties Act was passed on August 10th
1988 we have an official apology you
know of the hundred and twenty thousand
the government expected sixty thousand
to have died and sixty thousand were
still alive but we fooled them eighty
thousand of us were still alive
you see sushi is good for you
there’s only one race that’s the human
race there are those who wish to
classify us you know oh you’re Caucasian
American you’re asian-american you’re
Hispanic American or black American now
it’s only one race you know dogs have we
call them German Shepherd and French
poodles and Chihuahuas what they go to
anybody huh right they’re colorblind
I wish humans or colorblind
today the present administration is
constantly issuing new executive orders
and policies regarding immigration
contrary to the spirit of America
fortunately now
we have the Southern Poverty Law Center
the American Civil Liberties Union we
have so many groups and individuals
supporting what really is of true
America something we didn’t see in 1942
will it happen again memory is short no
not under the guise of military
necessity so who’s the biggest threat
some suspect it would be the reporters
and producers of faith in Jews it
doesn’t have to be an individual or
group okay add national group a racial
group it could be an occupation the days
of Walter Cronkite the conscious of
America are long gone now we have the
internet radio talk show hosts TV
commentators I’m grateful to be living
here in Santa Cruz County the second
most liberal County in the nation you
know if if you know the history of Santa
Cruz City it wasn’t always that way
yeah minorities were not welcomed in
Santa Cruz growing up I didn’t come to
Santa Cruz very often but I have all
changed how
thanks to Cabrillo College and the
University of Santa Cruz University of
California at Santa Cruz the
intelligentsia came and it changed the
whole county today this is the most
wonderful place in the whole world to
live and I kid you not
Gordon Habashi he was a student at the
University of Washington a Quaker
he was arrested convicted imprisoned the
prosecuting attorneys lied to the judges
yeah he spent some time now his
conviction was vacated not overturned
vacated Gordon hereby she said ancestry
is not a crime today we would add Islam
is not a crime with our newfound energy
we have a lot of work to do you know
there was a gentleman who lived not too
far from Charlottesville Virginia that a
place come on to sell Oh Thomas
Jefferson eternal vigilance is the price
of Liberty it’s up to us all of us to
work in peace and harmony compassion to
overcome hate and bigotry and we can do
it thank you
[Applause]
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