Cerritos High School Students were offered a rare look into a dark side of American History. During third through fifth period on Feb. 18, classes were invited to the theater to listen to guest speakers Takashi Hoshizaki and June Aochi Berk, first-hand account of Executive Order 9066, which forced them into internment camps at a young age.
The Day of Remembrance, observed every February 19th, recognizes the Japanese Americans who were taken from their homes and incarcerated from 1942 to 1945. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, fears of spies and sabotage caused a period of racial prejudice towards the Japanese citizens of America during World War II. As a result, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066, an unconstitutional act forcing all Japanese citizens from the West Coast to internment camps across the country, including those with as little as 1/16th Japanese blood.
120,000 innocents were forced to leave their businesses, homes, and all they knew of their lives to be cramped into unhygienic conditions. The U.S. government sentenced the Japanese to live behind bars without committing a crime. By 1946, all Japanese citizens were freed, but the damage was already done; they had lost their property, funds, and lives they had built.
In honor of these Japanese Americans, the ABCUSD Day of Remembrance Planning Committee hopes to educate and spread awareness of these injustices throughout the whole district.
Guest speaker June Aochi Berk presented her experience within the internment camps. Born in 1932, her family was full of aspirations and plans for the future, until they were taken and forced to sleep in horse stables at the Santa Anita Assembly Center. Despite losing everything but each other, Berk persevered, stating, “You can lock us up, but you can’t take our dignity away from us.”
Guest speaker Takashi Hoshizaki presented his own harrowing experience during this time. Born in 1925, Hoshizaki became one of the resistors of Heart Mountain at 17 years old, refusing to be drafted into the military until his family’s civil rights were restored. His valiant efforts contributed to the freedom of his people.
“We are fortunate we still have former incarcerees who can speak about their lives,” states Committee member Jenny Chomori. “As you Dons are our future leaders, we hope that you learn from this experience and make comparisons to what’s happening today.”