In 1986 the campaign for redress and reparations was gaining momentum with the introduction of Senate Bill 1053 by Senator Spark Matsunaga (D-Hawaii) in May 1985. At the time of the 1986 Day of Remembrance on February 23, Senator Alan Dixon (D-Illinois) signed on as a co-sponsor bringing the total number to 29. A majority of 51 sponsors was needed to ensure passage.

On the House of Representative’s side, House bill HR 442 gained a new co-sponsor in February, Representative Patricia Schroeder (D-Colorado), bringing the total number of House sponsors to 121.

The redress campaign received another boost in January, 1986 when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed a lower court decision and ruled that Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II may sue the federal government, that the statute of limitations of 6 years was irrelevant considering that the government had covered up evidence showing that it knew that Japanese Americans were not a threat.

This was an important victory for the National Council for Japanese American Redress (NCJAR) whose class action lawsuit was demanding $200,000 per internee. It was expected, however, that the government would appeal the recent decision.

Similarly, the 1942 conviction of Gordon Hirabayashi, one of the three men who refused to report to the military authorities for “relocation”, was invalidated when federal district Judge Donald S. Voorhees found that the government had engaged in misconduct because it had concealed from the Supreme Court evidence that would have cleared Japanese Americans of suspicion. The critical information may have led the Supreme Court to invalidate the rationale for the incarceration.

These timely factors influenced the year’s Day of Remembrance program. Sponsored by NCRR, the Pacific Southwest district of JACL, and the 100th/442 Veteran’s Association,the program once again brought together important community organizations, and invited participation by neighboring communities. Statements of support for redress were given by representatives from El Comite de la Raza, Search to Involve Philippine Americans, and Four Directions.

On behalf of the class action lawsuit, Joyce Okinaka of the National Council for Japanese American Redress, presented an update of the case. June Kizu represented NCRR with a perspective on redress, and JACL representative Ron Tsuji presented a legislative update.

NCRR’s Day of Remembrance statement reiterated the importance of each effort to advance the redress campaign: the judicial approach of NCJAR and the legislative approach by NCRR and JACL. Because the three branches of government were culpable in the incarceration of Japanese Americans, NCRR believed that it was important and appropriate that all three branches be held accountable in the redress claims.

“Redress and reparations will not be won by any single organization, nor by any single court decision, nor by the passage of any single piece of legislation. Redress and reparations will be won only by a community united, a community committed to building a common future in which narrow loyalties and differing strategies give way to a coordinated struggle for justice and full equality.” (from the NCRR Statement)