The Campaign for Justice: Redress Now for Japanese Latin Americans! (CFJ) and the Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project (JPOHP) are asking the community to participate in Japanese Latin American (JLA) Day of Action on Thursday, Feb. 24.
“We want to flood the White House with calls, urging the Biden Administration to comply with international law and grant redress to Japanese Latin Americans who suffered severe constitutional and human rights violations during World War II,” said Grace Shimizu of CFJ and JPOHP. “We need your help – and the help of your networks – to make our voices heard.”
During World War II, over 2,200 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry – both immigrant residents and citizens – from 13 Latin American countries were kidnapped from their homes and businesses, transported over international borders, and subjected to indefinite detention in U.S. internment camps. Over 800 were used in two hostage exchanges for U.S. citizens held in the war zones of the Far East.
Excluded from the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and not finding proper justice in the U.S., the JLAs petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a premier human rights body of the Organization of American States. In 2020, the commission published its ruling that the U.S. owes redress to the JLAs.
How you can help:
• Review the JLA Day of Action Toolkit: http://bit.ly/JLADayofAction
• On Feb. 24, call or email the White House (optimal call times: 8 a.m.–noon PT/11 a.m.-3 p.m. ET). Sign the CFJ redress petition to President Biden. Post on your social media. Share with your networks to remind them to take action on this day.
For more information, go to: https://jlacampaignforjustice.org/