University Honors

December 7, 1944. This was the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, causing a chain reaction that would affect the lives of all Japanese/ Japanese Americans. That course of action was the beginning of the United States’ involvement in World War II, along with the wrongful imprisonment of Japanese/Japanese Americans. Before the bombing, Japanese citizens migrated from Japan to the United States for a better life. They were in search of their “American Dream,” and some achieved it before disaster. Some Japanese/ Japanese Americans built their businesses, whether it was a small shop or farming. They also had families. Not just any regular pure Japanese family, but a mixed-race family. At that time, multiracial marriages were looked down upon, but some people didn’t listen to the social norm because they believed in being with the person they loved. Everything was going well for the Japanese/ Japanese Americans at the time, except for racial and discrimination from here to there by some people, but other than that, it was going well. Once the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor happened, everyone knew that there would be a shift in their life from that point on. After that day, Japanese/ Japanese Americans became the enemy. Once friends, now foes. The Japanese/ Japanese Americans were told to pack up their things, for they would be going somewhere “safe” while all this hate and violence was going on, but in reality, it was a prison sentence in disguise. Living in the concentration camps made it hard for people to express their culture, and that was one of the key points in the camps. To deny any Japanese culture and traditions. People had to face hard realities at a young age, some more than others. They were tested to see if they were loyal by a questionnaire and being drafted for the war. When people fought back, they were either killed or moved to Tule Lake (Asaka, 2024). In 1944, people began to be released, and by 1945, everyone was out except those in Tule Lake. By 1946, all camps were officially closed, but the re-entry was a difficult time for Japanese/ Japanese Americans. No one wanted to hire them or provide housing. Only very few were lucky to get jobs that no one wanted. As time went on, the Japanese American community worked hard to rebuild its image. Eventually, the hate, discrimination, and prejudice died down a little. It took the United States over forty years to apologize for wrongfully imprisoning the entire Japanese/ Japanese Americans community. With the apology, they were given twenty thousand dollars to make up for their losses. “Also recommended that Congress acknowledge the injustice by passing a resolution of a written apology and one-time reparation payment of $20,000 to each surviving incarceree” (Nagata, Kim, and Nguyen, 2015). The United States thinks that any problem can be solved with money, but all the emotional, psychological, and physical trauma can’t be healed with money, and the same goes for precious memories that were taken away when they were sent to the concentration camps. That’s why today’s youth don’t know much about their history or culture and traditions because of the trauma the older generations had to face. When learning about it in schools, the United States paints the picture that they’re the “good guys” in all of this, but it’s not until you look behind the smoke screen and see the truth.