To commemorate the unconstitutional internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War 2, members of the Japanese American community held a candlelight vigil to warn against hate crimes committed against the Arab American community and their possible internment in the event of a full scale war. In this photograph, hundreds of Japanese Americans with candles in hand, gather around the Japanese American National Museum. Japanese Americans of all ages participated in the event... from Children to elderly veterans of the Internment Camps. The Japanese American community knows first hand the effects of racism on a targeted minority... 120,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned for four years in "internment camps" immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The crowd was addressed by Bob Ideishi, a survivor or the Sept. 11th. terrorist attacks. Mr. Ideishi was in one of the Twin Towers, and miraculously escaped. He condemned the racist backlash against Arab Americans, and fighting back his emotions... he asked that "everyone take care of and be good to each other." Four mainstream organizations of the
Japanese American community helped to organize the event... the Japanese American Citizens League, the Japanese American National Museum, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, the Little Tokyo Service
Center, and the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR). You can contact the NCRR at (213) 680-3484)... or you can visit their Website at the following URL;
http://www.ncrr-la.org/