June 19, 2023

It was the third sunny day in May after weeks of dreadful rain. Looking longingly out of my office window in the nearly empty school building, I promised myself a long walk with my dog after the webinar. I returned my attention to the screen. To me, this webinar on the little-known topic of “Japanese Latin Americans & U.S. WWII Incarceration: Accountability and Redress” was most important, so I decided to jump in at the deep end by attending it.

Three prominent advocates and experts in the field were on the panel. Dr. Natasha Sugiyama, the panel’s moderator, is also the first person who educated me on the topic and introduced the panelists. Dr. Stephanie Moore spoke next and presented the historical background of Japanese immigration to Latin America between the early 1800s to the mid-19th century. Grace Shimizu was the third person to speak. She shared the decades-long frustrating journey of the Campaign for Justice: Redress NOW for Japanese Latin Americans. As I was listening, cold sweat covered my palms and my chest started to hurt. Words completely escaped me. There was so much I did not know. The rest of the world knows even…