The Long Journey Home
As some regular readers of this blog know, I’m an alumni of the University of Washington, Seattle (Go Huskies!), a.k.a. U-Dub. When I was a student there, I was pretty apolitical especially concerning Asian American issues. I thought being Asian American was just hot pot, Karaoke, food, clubbing, and more food. Maybe I was just oblivious to the UW Asian American activist scene.
One recent event that happened at U-Dub caught my eye. On May 18, 2008, last Sunday, the University of Washington awarded honorary degrees to Japanese American students who were forced into internment camps during World War II.
440 UW Japanese American students were forced into internment camps by the federal government in 1942. 440! Holy cow. That’s a lot of Asian Americans and that was back in 1942! Some of them were lucky enough to be able to return to college and earn their degrees, but many were unable to do so. As an institution, there are many things to complain about the University of Washington: the slow bureaucracy, the facelessness of the large class sizes. But there are things to be proud about. This is one of those events. Of course, one could ask the question why it took UW so long to get around to “righting this wrong,” but I’ll focus on the positive.
You can watch the entire ceremony on UWTV. I would say that UWTV is certainly one of the better university-sponsored television stations I have ever seen. They put on very interesting technical talks and lectures. And I’m not just saying this because I’ve been on UWTV. They also do a very good job of putting together a finished product. If you have time, you should take a look at the recording of the Dalai Lama’s visit to the University of Washington.
Incidentally, Norman Mineta, former United States Secretary of Transportation, makes an appearance and speaks about how he and his Japanese immigrant parents were detained at an internment camp in Wyoming during World War II.
As we reflect upon what is like to be an Asian American this APA Heritage Month, I think it is good to be reminded of our collective history as Americans, both good and bad. Certainly, Japanese internment has to rank as one of the lowlights of American history.
Last 5 posts by eugene
- Recap: Ed Bok Lee at East Meets Words - August 18th, 2008
- Oh Eight, Oh Eight, Oh ap-pro-pri-Eight - August 8th, 2008
- East Meets Words featuring Edward Bok Lee - August 1st, 2008
- Asian Americans and Mental Health - July 22nd, 2008
- Be Like Water - July 21st, 2008