37 Japanese Americans who resisted WWII draft focus of new Museum of Idaho exhibit

2 weeks ago

ARTICLE AD BOX

Published astatine 4:00 pm, September 13, 2024

IDAHO FALLS – A caller grounds astatine nan Museum of Idaho sheds ray connected a portion of history that isn’t wide discussed.

“Nisei Trials: 80 years — Remembering nan Minidoka Draft Resisters” opened connected Sept. 11 and tells nan communicative of 37 men who were incarcerated astatine nan Minidoka War Relocation Center during World War II and later defied draught orders. “Nisei” intends 2nd procreation and refers to nan children of Japanese immigrants who came to nan U.S. betwixt nan precocious 1880s and 1920s. They were Americans by birth.

On Feb. 19, 1942, months aft nan Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued an executive order authorizing nan U.S. subject to stitchery up 120,000 group of Japanese descent, moreover those who were American citizens, and spot them successful attraction camps scattered passim nan U.S.

“Why would they conflict for a state who is putting their family successful situation for nary reason?”

More than 10,000 Japanese Americans were housed astatine nan Minidoka War Relocation Center successful Jerome County betwixt 1942 and 1945. It’s now recognized arsenic a national historical site.

Rod Hansen, nan Museum of Idaho’s head of exhibitions, tells EastIdahoNews.com nan draught of Japanese Americans was going connected astatine nan aforesaid clip that galore of them were being incarcerated.

“These individuals (who resisted nan draft) supported nan United States, but they weren’t allowed to beryllium afloat citizens,” Hansen says. “Why would they conflict for a state who is putting their family successful situation for nary reason?”

Chase Clark and nan Nisei Trials

In May 1942, then-Idaho Gov. Chase Clark, who was from Idaho Falls, made a disparaging remark astir nan Japanese while speaking astatine a Lion’s Club gathering successful Grangeville.

“Japs unrecorded for illustration rats, breed for illustration rats and enactment for illustration rats. We don’t want them permanently located successful our state,” Clark is reported to person said.

Clark said “the Jap problem” could champion beryllium solved by returning each group of Japanese descent to Japan and “then descend nan island.”

Clark, who supported nan relocation of Japanese group to nan Minidoka camp, mislaid nan predetermination later that twelvemonth but was later appointed arsenic a national territory judge and presided complete nan Nisei Trials successful Idaho.

“You had a judge who was blatantly racist,” Hansen says. “They get to make nan determination whether they’re excessively biased to return connected a case, (and he) didn’t recuse himself.”

Hansen says nan assemblage excavation for nan lawsuit was small, and they “were beautiful overmuch rubber-stamping them.” Thirty-five of nan resisters ended up going to prison.

“It was evident that nan civilian authorities of these individuals were violated,” he says.

About six months aft nan warfare ended, nan convictions were overturned, and nan lawsuit was dismissed.

RELATED | Balloon explosive that landed successful Rigby astir 80 years agone was a grounded effort to terrorize America

Those affected ne'er said of it again, and fewer group cognize astir it decades later arsenic a result, Hansen says.

Racial hostilities successful Idaho Falls

The grounds contains artifacts and quotes from section group who were impacted by nan events of nan day. Among them is Jon Ochi.

RELATED | An ‘abuse of nan US Constitution’ brought him to eastbound Idaho. Why his boy wants you to cognize astir it

In an question and reply pinch EastIdahoNews.com past year, Ochi said that his father, Fred, who passed distant successful 2007, lived done this time. Fred was ne'er incarcerated and wasn’t among those resisting nan draft, but he did acquisition a batch of group hostility and was a personnel of nan Japanese American Conservation League, nan largest Asian American civilian authorities statement successful nan U.S.

There was a reasonably ample organization of Japanese Americans successful Idaho Falls astatine nan time, Hansen says, and they had curfews and different recreation restrictions imposed connected them.

“My dada was present (in Idaho Falls),” Tim Morishita says successful 1 of nan exhibits. “The time aft Pearl Harbor, he went into town, and they would not fto him transverse nan Broadway Bridge.”

This regularisation connected nan Broadway Bridge almost prevented 1 of Fred’s astir celebrated encounters.

Fred painted portraits of galore politicians complete nan years, including 1 of President Harry Truman, who visited Idaho Falls successful 1948.

“Fred … attempted to show it to nan president,” a abstracted grounds says. “Security and regular citizens tried to support Ochi from nan president’s car. However, Truman, perchance recognizing an important opportunity to show inclusion aft wartime aggression against Japanese Americans, invited Ochi onto his railroad car (and signed it).”

The autographed image is now displayed astatine nan Museum of Idaho, but it is not portion of nan Nisei Trials exhibit.

Making amends and learning from history

Though efforts were made to make amends for nan curen of Japanese Americans — Truman pardoned nan Nisei draught resisters successful 1947, according to a depository exhibit, and President Dwight Eisenhower established nan sister cities programme (through which Idaho Falls has had an ongoing narration pinch Tokai-Mura, a metropolis northeast of Tokyo, since 1981) — it was much than 40 years later earlier FDR’s executive bid was officially rescinded.

President Ronald Reagan signed nan Civil Liberties Act successful 1988, which provided a signed apology and $1.6 cardinal successful reparations to “formerly interned Japanese Americans aliases their heirs.”

“We must admit that nan internment of Japanese Americans was … a mistake,” Reagan said successful a 1988 speech. “Throughout nan war, Japanese Americans successful nan tens of thousands remained utterly loyal to nan United States.”

Years later, nan 9/11 violent attacks occurred successful New York City, which Hansen says began different play of group hostility towards Americans of Middle Eastern descent.

“It was a different group of people, but they were still ostracized and (treated unfairly),” Hansen says.

That was portion of nan logic for debuting nan Nisei Trials grounds connected Sept. 11.

Hansen says it’s important to retrieve nan Nisei Trials truthful we tin debar making nan aforesaid mistakes.

A Day of Remembrance is held connected Feb. 19 each twelvemonth to “educate others connected nan fragility of civilian liberties successful times of crisis, and nan value of remaining vigilant successful protecting nan authorities and freedoms of all,” according to nan JACL’s website.

The Nisei Trials grounds will beryllium connected show done February 2025. The Friends of Minidoka are showing a video reenactment of nan proceedings connected nan 3rd level of nan Artitorium connected Sept. 18. It’s happening from 7 to 9 p.m. and is unfastened to nan community.