Introduction

August 10, 2008, marked the 20th anniversary of President Ronald
Reagan’s signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (CLA). This historic
legislation authorized the government’s apology and monetary restitution
to each Japanese American who had been forcibly removed from the
West Coast, incarcerated in America’s World War II concentration camps
and was alive on the day of the signing of the redress bill. The CLA also
required that each recipient must have been a U.S. citizen or permanent
resident alien during the war. The presidential apology and reparations
were ultimately provided to over 82,220 survivors.

The 20th anniversary is acknowledged by many Japanese American
organizations for its significance not only to the JA community, but for its relevance to today’s concerns about the violations of civil and
constitutional rights in the name of national security, the excesses of
presidential authority, and the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities
after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

NCRR’s Role in the Campaign for Redress/Reparations

The significance of the Japanese American community’s campaign to seek
long-awaited justice from the United States government and NCRR’s role
in this struggle are the main motivations for this website and archives.
NCRR was very clear from the beginning of the redress/reparations
campaign about our focus at a time when others, for understandable
reasons, said, “don’t make waves,” “an apology is enough,” or “redress
will never happen.” At NCRR’s founding conference in 1980, the demand
for monetary restitution was its primary Principle of Unity for the new organization.

The Strength of Grassroots Activis

NCRR, a community-based, all-volunteer organization, organized in 1980
with the specific mission of seeking monetary reparations, an apology, and
an education fund from the U.S. government. Our organization involved
regular people: truck drivers, teachers, homemakers, office workers and
service employees to wage this campaign. Those who suffered and endured because of the government’s actions, their children and friends, and other
justice-minded friends would fight this fight.

Every person who wrote a letter, signed a petition, sent a mail-a-gram,
donated even a few dollars, attended a meeting or Day of Remembrance
program was a participant in the over-eight -year campaign for redress
and reparations. The grassroots campaign encouraged each person to get involved and valued each person’s effort as an important contribution to the struggle.

When President Reagan signed the redress bill in 1988, the Nikkei
legislators and important Congressional friends stood around him. Senators
Spark Matsunaga, Daniel Inouye, and Congressional members Norman
Mineta, Robert Matsui, Patricia Saiki were there along with Barney Frank
who was one of redress’ staunchest supporters. The importance of our
Nikkei legislators and key friends was critical to the passage of the Act. Of tremendous importance, also, was the work of community members and the support of friends in the Latino, African American, and other communities.
The earliest steps in the campaign focused on small meetings in homes,
churches, and community organizations to talk about the camp experience
and the importance of seeking redress. After almost 40 years, many Nikkei
were reluctant to discuss this topic. Others, however, were grateful for this fledgling campaign.

Claiming our HistoryCommunity’s Victory

Their stories revealed little known consequences of the forced evacuation
and imprisonment. We learned about families who had been separated by the government during the incarceration. With the government’s coercion, some families chose to go to war-torn Japan in order to reunite. Some families
were never reunited. We found out about the Japanese from Latin America
who were abducted by the U.S. government to be used as prisoners of war
in a hostage exchange program with Japan.

Through the community’s redress campaign many more important parts of
our history were revealed. We more fully realized the extent of the
devastating effects of the government’s actions. Individuals and families
were left with deep feelings of shame and tremendous loss. And, our
community suffered painful schisms that remain even today. NCRR strongly demanded, “Redress Now! Reparations Now!”

The Community’s Victory

The redress victory was the result of numerous factors. The Japanese
American community came together to present a united front to push
foredress. Differences of opinion in the community organizations would not
deter the greater cause. Time was an important factor in the coming
together. We knew that with each passing month hundreds of Nisei were dying. The community knew that time was of the essence.

The victory, more than 40 years after the end of WWII, was spurred by the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement, and the inspiration of leaders such as
Dr. Martin Luther King, Ghandi, and Cesar Chavez.

Critical Factors in the Redress Campaign:

The 1981 Federal Commission Hearings
In 1981, the Commission on the Wartime Relocation and Internment of
Civilians (CWRIC) conducted public hearings in 10 cities across the country. NCRR pushed for evening hearings in Los Angeles to accommodate
working people and simultaneous translation for the Japanese speakers.

NCRR also encouraged Nisei to testify, helped them to prepare and
rehearse their testimony, and assisted with transportation. NCRR also
recruited Visual Communications to videotape the 26 hours of Los Angeles hearings. The tapes were helpful in educating the broader community
about the impact and losses caused by the incarceration. The commission
tapes continue to be a valuable resource.

Critical to the passage of the CLA was the final report and conclusions of
the CWRIC. The report stated that the causes of the wartime incarceration
of Japanese Americans were wartime hysteria, race prejudice and the failure
of political leadership. The commission proposed that monetary reparations
be paid to Japanese American former internees.

The Community’s United Front

NCRR worked with the key community organizations, the Japanese
American Citizens League (JACL), the Washington Redress Committee
(WRC), and the National Council for Japanese American Redress
(NCJAR) in the early 1980’s to ensure a united front. Although NCJAR
chose to pursue a class action lawsuit, their efforts did not impede the
legislative approach pursued by NCRR, JACL, and WRC. NCRR
conducted dozens of community meetings to garner support for the redress campaign throughout the early 1980’s.

The community sought the support of numerous local and national
organizations including the National Lutheran Synod, the Service
Employees International Union (SEIU), city councils, human relations organizations, and the support of many other ethnic communities. We
could not have achieved this victory alone.

Early Support from Congressman Dymally

NCRR worked closely with Congressman Mervyn Dymally (D-CA) to
draft redress legislation. The Dymally redress bill was submitted to
Congress in late 1982, and it served to introduce the topic to legislators
and keep the momentum of the Commission hearings strong. Mr. Dymally continued to be a staunch supporter of redress and assisted NCRR on
its several lobbying trips to Washington D.C. during the 1980’s.

In 1987 NCRR spearheaded a historic delegation of over 120 Japanese Americans of all ages to lobby Congressional members to support the
redress bill. The community members volunteered their time and money to advocate for the legislation. Their visits to Congressional members put
a face on the issue and provided persuasive information of personal losses
and suffering.

NCRR is also grateful to Congressmen Robert Matsui and Norman
Mineta for their support of the community’s grassroots organizing and
lobbying efforts. Their willingness to speak at DOR programs, share their personal stories in Congress and provide leadership were important to the
redress campaign.

Annual Day of Remembrance Programs

Since 1981 NCRR has organized an annual Los Angeles Day of
Remembrance program. The DOR programs kept the community
informed and involved with the redress campaign throughout the 80’s
and 90’s. Those who attended signed petitions and letters to Congress
to urge passage of the bill, as well as to urge President Reagan to sign the legislation, and to protest the delay of funding for the redress.

The passage of the Civil Liberties Act through the treacherous gauntlet of congressional committees was, by any measure, a tremendous victory for
the community, a relatively small ethnic minority group.

Working with the ORA

The process of identifying and delivering the apology and redress check to
the survivors and eligible heirs was no small feat. The over ten years
process by the Department of Justice’s Office of Redress Administration
(ORA)
was carefully monitored, massaged and even challenged by NCRR. Once
again we worked with the JACL and others to ensure that everyone who
had been impacted by the wartime removal and incarceration would receive reparations.

NCRR established a close working relationship with the ORA and
requested regular community meetings with ORA representatives.
NCRR was grateful for the early leadership of ORA Director Bob\ Bratt
and his staff.

The Fight Continued for Those Denied Redress\

NCRR is proud of its important role in the continued redress campaign
for the thousands of Japanese Americans who received letters from the
ORA stating that they were ineligible for redress. In the early 1990’s,
after the first redress checks were sent to Japanese Americans, NCRR
received dozens of calls from JA’s who were denied redress. The denial
cases included approximately ten categories. Two of the groups were the
children of JA’s who had moved to the interior states in March, 1942 to
avoid the mass evacuation and the children of the internees who went to
Japan rather than stay in the camps and face an uncertain future. Other categories of denial cases included the JA railroad and mine workers who
were fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, residents of Hawaii who
were moved or incarcerated based on their ethnicity, and residents of
Phoenix and Glendale, Arizona who suffered from harsh restrictions
because of their Japanese ancestry.

NCRR participated in numerous lobbying delegations to Washington D.C.
during the 1990’s to advocate for the broadest interpretation of the CLA
and its regulations. We assisted individuals in appealing their denial status. Administrative remedies were ultimately reached by the ORA in several categories. Two of the groups to receive redress were the railroad and
mine workers and the children of those who returned to Japan during the
war. And, after the final denial of their redress appeals, victory was finally attained for the majority of the children of the early evacuees through
successful lawsuits.

With the expertise and volunteerism of many community lawyers, NCRR
helped individuals to pursue lawsuits when the Department of Justice
offered no remedy.