Speak Out for Justice: August 4, 1981
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To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) Los Angeles hearings, Visual Communications and Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR) presents SPEAK OUT FOR JUSTICE, the entire gavel-to-gavel tape coverage of the Los Angeles hearings, held August 4 - 6, 1981. We are releasing the full 26 hours of tapes, comprising over 150 testimonies from those impacted by Executive Order 9066, including special introductions by various community members. Click here to watch the rest of the footage.
Speak Out for Justice: August 4, 1981
August 4th, 1981 was the first day of the CWRIC Los Angeles hearings, consisting of testimonies that cover the personal accounts of Japanese American internees, their children, and the wide range of effects stemming from camp experiences due to Executive Order 9066. Testifiers experienced business and property loss, being forced from their homes, feeling exploited, and then being sent home with nothing to come back to. Internees also shared their post-camp trauma and feelings of shame for being Japanese American.
On Thursday, August 26 at 6pm PT, join Nikkei Progressives and NCRR for Reparations Then! Reparations Now!, a virtual program to commemorate the anniversary of the CWRIC hearings and the passage of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act, which granted reparations for the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The event will feature leaders of N’COBRA and the HR 40 Coalition, who are committed to supporting the demand of Black-led organizations for the passage of HR 40, a commission to study the harms of slavery and to propose reparations. Click here to RSVP.
An Introduction by Kay Ochi
Co-Chair of NCRR/Los Angeles Kay Ochi provides an overview introduction of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) hearings in Los Angeles, held from August 4 through August 6, 1981. Kay Ochi emphasizes the power of testimonies, grassroots organizations, and the importance of speaking out against injustice.
August 4, 1981 - Part 1
Elected Officials give their testimonies on the circumstances and facts surrounding the forced relocation and internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Introduction by Co-Chair of NCRR/Los Angeles Kay Ochi. The testifiers included in this video are Senator S. I. Hayakawa, Barbara Marumoto, Edmund Edelman, Tom Bradley, and Mas Fukai.
August 4, 1981 - Part 2
Japanese Americans break their silence to speak out on the pain, suffering, and loss experienced as a result of the issuance of Executive Order 9066. The first-hand accounts detail the enormous loss of property and business among many Japanese Americans after World War II. Introduction by Jim Matsuoka, Co-Founder of Los Angeles Committee Coalition for Redress and Reparations, NCRR, and a member of the Manzanar Committee. Part 2 Testifiers include Frank Chuman, Enosuke Amemiya, Katsuichi Fujita, Clarence Nishizu, Veronica Ohara, Akiyo DeLoyd, Joyce S. Tamai, Mary Oda, Mary F. Kurihara, Mabel T. Ota, Katsuyo Oekawa, and Sally Tsuneishi.
August 4, 1981 - Part 3
Testifiers speak out on the heartbreaking accounts of camp experiences, post-war trauma, and the racial prejudice endured by many Japanese Americans. Introduction by Harry Kawahara, Former Redress Committee Chairman. Part 3 Testifiers include Henry S. Yamaga, Alfred Nabeta, Robert O'Brien, Morris Kight, Harry Kawahara, Hannah Tomiko Holmes, and Raymond Wiedman.
August 4, 1981 - Part 4
Testifiers continue to speak out on the intergenerational impact of Executive Order 9066 on Japanese Americans. The demand for Community Redress and Reparations grows as the testimonies continue to speak out on the psychological trauma and feelings of shame felt by many interned Japanese Americans. Introduction by Duane Kubo, Co-Founder of Visual Communications. Part 4 Testifiers include Roy Nakano, Alan Nishio, Mike Murase, George Takei, William Shigeta, Elizabeth Nishikawa, Irma Brubaker Roth, Ken Hayashi, Katsumi Yagura, Mary Kurihara (for Albert), Tom Watanabe, Henry Sakai, Joe Yamamoto, and Dillion Myer (read by Lillian Baker).
