Japanese-American Internment and Redress

Speakers talked about the events surrounding the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. They provided family anecdotes concerning conditions in the camps and discussed their own efforts to secure the passage of a redress bill by Congress. Grant Ujifusa talked about how he devised a justification for the bill that appealed across party lines, and then about finding an event in young Ronald Reagan’s life that caused the president to reverse his opposition to the legislation. Former Governor Tom Kean (R-NJ) talked about conveying what Mr. Ujifusa found to President Reagan and speaking directly with him about H.R. 442, Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which President Ronald Reagan signed August 10, 1988.

“An Asian American Triumph: From Internment Camps to Reparations” was hosted by the Asia Society to celebrate the 25th anniversary year of the bill’s enactment. close