Reflect on the two different set of events, one that took place in the midst of World War II and the other taking place in our
lifetime.
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order
9066, which permitted the military to circumvent the constitutional safeguards of American citizens in the name of national
defense. The order set into motion the exclusion from certain areas, and the evacuation and mass incarceration of 120,000
persons of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast, most of whom were U.S. citizens or legal permanent resident aliens.
These Japanese Americans, half of whom were children, were incarcerated for up to 4 years, without due process of law or any
factual basis, in bleak, remote camps surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. They were forced to evacuate their homes
and leave their jobs; in some cases family members were separated and put into different camps. President Roosevelt himself called the 10 facilities concentration camps. Some Japanese Americans died in the camps due to inadequate medical care and the
emotional stresses they encountered. Several were killed by military guards posted for allegedly resisting orders. At the time,
Executive Order 9066 was justified as a military necessity to protect against domestic espionage and sabotage. However, it was later documented that our government had in its possession proof that not one Japanese American, citizen or not, had engaged
in espionage, not one had committed any act of sabotage. (Michi Weglyn, 1976). Rather, the causes for this unprecedented
action in American history, according to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, were motivated largely by racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. Almost 50 years later, through the efforts of leaders
and advocates of the Japanese American community, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Popularly known as the
Japanese American Redress Bill, this act acknowledged that a grave injustice was done and mandated Congress to pay each
victim of internment $20,000 in reparations. The reparations were sent with a signed apology from the President of the United
States on behalf of the American people. The period for reparations ended in August 1998. Despite this redress, the mental and
physical health impacts of the trauma of the internment experience continue to affect tens of thousands of Japanese Americans. Health studies have shown a twice greater incidence of heart disease and premature death among former internees, compared to non-interned Japanese Americans. PBS.org
Watch this video about the Japanese internment camps: https://densho.org/american-concentration-camps/
A similar situation occurred at the Southern border with Mexico to address irregular immigration. Watch the linked videos below
(I encourage you to watch these video not through the lens of partisan politics but through the lens of human rights and our
common humanity)
After you have finished watching all of the video clips, I want you to comment on the mental health impact these situations have
created. The trauma does not go away; it can last a lifetime. Think deeply about this before responding. What are the similarities
and differences between the two set of events? As a counselor, it is quite probable that you will be working with people who have experienced this type of degradation and disregard. Think about the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as you respond.