Dear Editor,
The JACL has unfairly led the JA community to stigmatize and thereby harm Tule Lake Resisters for all these several decades. Finally at the August 2019 National Convention, despite the opposition of Nisei veteran leaders and old-time JACL leaders, enlightened JACL members overwhelmingly voted for a resolution to have the National Council offer a sincere apology to Tule Lake Resisters.
The resolution further resolved that the National Council encourage all chapters to gain a greater understanding of the issues surrounding the imprisonment, mistreatment and resistance of Tule Lake Resisters. Resolved to include a Tule Lake narrative in an updated JACL Curriculum Guide in both printed and online format and for the syllabus for Teacher Training Workshops. And further resolved that the National Council will recognize Tule Lake Resisters at an appropriate public ceremony during the 2020-21 biennium.
It is now almost five years later, and the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer an excuse. Despite various reminders, the JACL leadership has failed to fulfill any of these apology resolution promises to rectify the harm endured by Tule Lake Resisters.
You JACL members overwhelmingly voted for the apology resolution and the mitigation promises. Your leaders have failed to act on your official vote. Please encourage them to expeditiously act before we are all gone.
History is written by the victors. We Japanese Americans must be unified and write the honest truth about the resisters in the JACL curriculum. We demand that it is fair and comprehensive.
Sincerely,
Yukio Kawaratani, Tule Lake Resister and longtime JACL member, and
Kyoko Oda, born in Tule Lake Segregation and longtime JACL member
