Japanese-Americans share their stories; community impact

Kept in silence for decades, the true story of the Japanese-American relocation in 1942 finally reveals itself in the ValleyPBS special Silent Sacrifice. The Story of Japanese American Incarceration in California’s San Joaquin Valley and Beyond exposes the truth behind one of the darkest periods in America’s history.

After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, losing America’s trust and causing thousands of casualties, the Japanese-Americans who considered the United States to be their home were stripped of their citizenship. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Order 9066, which resulted in 120,000 innocent people of Japanese ancestry to relocate to concentration camps, leaving behind their friends, schools, and jobs.

The documentary reveals never before seen photographs and footage of what it was like for Japanese-Americans to be taken from their homes and incarcerated in camps. The two-hour video focuses on several Japanese-Americans’ journeys through their experience and the hardships they endured.

This documentary completely changed my perspective on the challenges the Japanese-Americans went through. I had learned about World War II in history class but I never understood the magnitude of the situation until I watched the footage with my own eyes.

The video started with the couple, Saburo and Marion Masada, traveling to the site of Jerome Relocation Camp, one of many in Arkansas, in remembrance of their ancestors.

They both were born and raised on farms in California. But on March 16 of 1942, the couple, along with many other Japanese-American citizens, were trucked off to an internment camp located right here in Fresno, CA. The Fresno fairgrounds were once the home of 5,000 residents detained on the property.

The images and videos depicting the horrors they went through shocked me. It was hard to imagine that a place in my hometown full of fun was once a concentration camp full of hopelessness.

Hundreds of containment houses lined the area, surrounded by barbed wire fences and multiple levels of security. Two-thirds of the prisoners were children, under the age of 15. Imagine thousands of kids living in confined spaces without their parents, ready to be shot if they step out of line. Not the ideal way to handle things.

America could have handled the Japanese-American situation so much better. They felt threatened and scared, and they decided to take it out on people related to their problem. It honestly hurt to watch innocent people stripped of their citizenship which they rightfully earned.

What really caught my attention was how many people were actually affected by this event. Not only were the Japanese-Americans impacted, but their children, and their children’s children. Generations will remember this horrid occurrence, scarred by the past.

Our country should be more aware of the impact their actions can have on people. I know it’s very relevant now and you can’t please everyone, but we should try and think about the effect this will have not only on people today, but people in future generations.

This documentary exposes the truth about one of America’s past mistakes and makes our generation more aware of the impact we really have on people. We acted on fear and because of that, it has affected generations of people. So what are we doing today that could impact our generations for the good and not repeat the cycle of segregation or racism?

For more articles on the Japanese American’s experiences in WWII, read Japanese-American internment survivor recalls life during WWII. For more articles read Sibling Series: Alina, Makayla, and Joseph Davila.

This writer can be reached via Twitter @schultz_kamryn and via email: Kamryn