Remembering when immigrants were treated as the enemy in WWII

PINE PLAINS — With the 75th anniversary of the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II approaching, the Pine Plains Free Library hosted a lecture on Friday, April 7, on that dark chapter in American history.  

 Jeffrey Urbin spoke about an exhibit on Japanese-Americans at the F.D.R. Presidential Library in Hyde Park, where he is an education specialist.

After portraying the internment as the “biggest blemish on Roosevelt’s record in terms of human rights,” Urbin said one must understand context: The attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941,  by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service had just shocked the nation. 

Anti-Asian sentiment peaked on the West Coast. With the Roosevelt administration under pressure, a 10-week debate ensued among the Justice Department, the White House and the military in early 1942. 

By Feb. 19, 1942, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, forcing all Japanese-Americans to evacuate the West Coast regardless of loyalty or citizenship. Ten internment camps were established in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado and Arkansas, eventually holding a total of 120,000 Japanese-Americans.

When describing what life was like for Japanese-Americans  in the camps, Urbin said they were similar to those in the German concentration camps. The Japanese-Americans tried to make the best of their situation by building communities within the camps, however. 

Urbin illustrated his talk with photos and ephemera from that period, including the poster instructing Japanese-Americans to turn themselves in and telling them what they were allowed to bring with them to the camps (one satchel of belongings and a limited amount of clothing).

He also showed a photograph in which soldiers are standing guard as Japanese-Americans enter the prison camps. The guards are all wearing helmets left over from World War I. 

On average, individuals resided in the camps for about three years. Many continued to live there until 1947. 

When they were finally released, “there was nothing for them to go home to,” Urbin said.

Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 to grant reparations for the internees. They and their families were provided with a redress payment of $20,000 and a formal letter of apology signed by the president

To learn more about the photo exhibition at the F.D.R. Presidential Library,  go to www.fdrlibrary.org.