Rafu Shimpo, 2/3/95, Commenmoration to Link Racism

[-OSANGELES, CALIF. 9OOI2
PHONE:(2r3) 629-2231
E S T A B L I S H E DI 9 O 3
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
to Link Racism
Commemoration
PastandPresent
andResistance,
Los Angeles' Day of Remembranceto draw
parallelsto World War II racism and current
anti-immigrantscapegoating.
gain afoothold in American society
were elusive goals,but also served
ofthe Day as driving forces for the Nikkei as
The 1995observance
of Remembrance,scheduled for they enduredandresistedthe ongoSunday, Feb. 19 at the CentenarY ing racism.
United Methodist Church in Little
Tokyo, will highlight the continu- Immigrants Stigmatized
In 1995, a reinvigorated xenoing legacyofracism andresistance
reflected in the War World II in- phobia has once again re-surfaced:
ternment of 120,000 Japanese but this time, it is indiscriminately'
stigmatizingimmigrants,especially
Americans.
who are people of color, as
Sponsoredby the National Coa- those
"undesirables." Often subjectedto
the
lition for Redress/Reparations,
event commemoratesthe issuance economicexploitation,manyrecent
of Executive Order 9066, setting immigrants are struggling to make
into motion the massimprisonment endsmeet,from oneday to the next.
Once again, many famlies and
solely basedon race.
The theme of this year's pro- communities are facing a future of
gram is "50 YearsAfter the CamPs: fear and uncertainty in the face of
Racism and Resistance,Then ... new govemment policy, today in
the form of measureslike Proposiand Now."
In addition to remembering the tion 187.But like the Nikkei compast,theprogramalsohoPesto draw munity after the war, today's immiattentionto the disturbing and omi- grants have continued to struggle
nous similarities between the po- and resist injustice and racism.
litical climateof thepastandpresent.
"What Can We Do About It?"
"Many irnmigrants,documented
World War II Hysteria
Indiscriminatelytargetedduring or not, are suffering the samekind
"disloyal, of fearsandapprehensionsthatJapathe wartime years as
"
neseAmericans felt 50 years go,
undesireableenemyaliens,"Niktei
left thecampsatthe closeof the war explained NCRR president Richto re-enteran often-hostileenviron- ard Katsuda.
"Program speakers
He went on,
ment,facingracistactsby individuwill discussthe treatmentof Japaals and pervasivediscrimination.
With an uncertainfuture, life for neseAmericansduring World War
many Nikkei families was a con- II andthe conditionswhich led to it.
tinualstruggletosimplygetbyfrom They will thentakeus to thepresent,
day to day. Remaking fragmented where similar conditions appearto
communities tom apart by govem- be emerging. They will also ad'What
mental policy and struggling to dress the critical question,
By GORDON NAKAGAWA
can we do aboutit?"'
One of the program's featured
speakerswill be Linda Camacho,a
teacher for 13 years at Lennox
Middle School and currently regional secretary of the Mexican
American Political Association
(MAPA). Camacho,whose Nisei
mother was intemed in the Tule
Lake camp during the war, and
whosefather wasanimmigrant from
Mexico, will address the similar
circumstancesthat join conditions
in 1945with thosein 1995.
The programwill run from2 to4
p.m. and will also featurepresenta"Fighting Spirif'
tion of NCRR's
awards; performances by shakuhachi player MasakazuYoshizawa
and the UCLA Nikkei Student
Union taikodrummers;a children's
workshop for ages 5 through I I
years;and an updateon redressefforts in supportof over 2,300Nikkei
who have been deemedineligible
by the federal govemment.
'The strugglemustcontinueuntil
redressand reparationsarewon for
all who were unjustly deprived of
their consitutional and human
rights," empahsizedKay Ochi,
NCRR vice president.
Day of Remembrance
in Los Angeles
The l4th annual Day of
Remembrancein L.A. will be
held at Centenary United
Methodist Church, 300 S.
Central Ave., in Little Tokyo., on Sunday, Feb. 19,
from 2,to4 p.m.Admissionis
free. For more information,
callNCRRat(213) 680-3484.
MARIO (1. REYli-S/Raltt.\ltnrrl
Members of National Coalition for Redress and Reparations, including David Monkawa, left, and Miya
Iwataki, second to left, were part of anti-Proposition 187 demonstration prior to last year's election.