Tags
activism, dreamers, immigrant children, internment camps, Japanese-American internment, migrant children, politics, prison camps, resistance, U.S., United States, WWII
Some people still don’t know that during World War II, the U.S. government tore many Japanese-Americans from their homes, jobs, and businesses and shipped them out into bleak, isolated areas of the U.S. to be imprisoned in prison camps (called internment camps).
I’m lucky enough to have learned about this as a late teen and read up on it, so at least I know something about this part of U.S. history. What I *didn’t* know was that these camps are either still in use or have just been reopened for use–as prisons for migrant children separated from their families.
If you haven’t heard about this yet, Densho, an organization dedicated to keeping alive the memory of Japanese-American prisoners’ experiences, has a quick, to-the-point article on what it means that U.S. has decided to use past prison camp Fort Sill to isolate immigrant children. I highly suggest reading it.
Unlike many countries who’ve committed crimes against humanity, the U.S. has never properly acknowledged and processed its guilt publicly, and reusing these prison camps is a blatant sign of that inability to learn from or take responsibility for our past.
I reached out to Densho to ask what folks could do to oppose the use of Fort Sill and other prison camps, and I’m posting their answer in full here:
“Thanks for reaching out, and my apologies for the delayed response. Things have been pretty hectic since this news about Fort Sill broke, and we’ve been busy trying to stay on top of it all. Since Fort Sill is only now becoming a detention site, I don’t believe there is any established activism around that particular site. Densho will be protesting the proposed incarceration of migrant children at Fort Sill this Saturday [June 22, 2019], along with Tsuru For Solidarity, Detention Watch Network, and ACLU of Oklahoma. (More details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2524102380962697/) Any are welcome to join, or, since many people who wish to support will not be able to attend on such short notice, follow along and help signal boost on social media. If/when additional protests are planned, either locally or at other detention sites, we will let people know.
In the meantime, here are some actions you might take:
- Call your senators and representatives. Ask them what they are doing to end the detention of immigrant children and families, and to ensure that asylum-seekers have access to legal counsel and a fair and speedy review of their case. Then call them again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, etc., etc.
- Congress is currently debating whether to approve billions of dollars in additional funding to ICE and Border Patrol. Call them and demand they #DefundHate.
- When you see news outlets spreading misinformation (like calling detention sites “shelters” or using dehumanizing language to describe immigrants and refugees), call them out. Write a letter to the editor, send a correction to the reporter, call them out on social media.
- Find orgs that are doing direct, on-the-ground work to support immigrants and refugees, and donate your time and/or money. These are a few we know of, but there are many others:
– Raices provides legal counsel and other services to incarcerated immigrants: https://www.raicestexas.org/
– Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus helps Southeast Asian refugees fight deportation: https://www.advancingjustice-alc.org/
– La Resistencia is a local (Seattle area) undocumented-led org that is very active in supporting immigrants detained at the Northwest Detention Center: https://www.nwdcresistance.org/
- Talk to your friends, your family, and your community. Stay informed and pass on that information to others.”
If, like me, you have a hard time remembering to make phone calls to keep *yourself* alive, even (I barely remember to renew the meds I’d die without, sometimes), and feel like you can’t do much of what’s shown above, at least tell other people you know what’s going on. Spread the word. See what local organizations are opposing this. (I think United We Dream is doing a lot in my area.) Give a bit of money.
Anything is better than nothing! Believe me, I know the shame of feeling like because of mental disorders or other disabilities, I can’t successfully maintain personal activism. But even just spreading the word is something.