With Liberty and Justice for All: Racism, Redress and Reparations
Forty years ago, 91Porn was the center for a hearing to force the federal government to acknowledge acts of racism with the hope that an apology and monetary compensation to redress these acts would follow. While successful for the Japanese Americans unjustly incarcerated during World War II, systemic racism continues to be at the cornerstone in much of America’s immigration, criminal justice, employment and housing practices. For people of color, racism continues to be a fact of daily life. The University is proud to house the Japanese American Redress Collection which contains both the and their from the Redress hearings.
This virtual conference examines the Japanese American experience as a lens to identify racist practices today and provide focus on steps to gain true equality for all.
Read the Conference Committee's Position Paper
A brief timeline of the milestones of Japanese American history
Exhibits
Conference Details
The virtual, two-day conference was held on Sept. 22-23, 2021, and examined what can be done to:
- stop racism, hatred and discrimination against non-whites;
- pass ;
- stop detention and separation of immigrant families; and
- gain citizenship for immigrants.
Session 1
Greetings
- Steven Harris, Dean of Libraries, NEIU Libraries
Plenary speaker
- John Tateshi, author of "." (JACL) redress committee chair, JACL national redress director and past JACL executive director
Arts Activism: Storytelling and Movement-Building at Work
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Commission Hearings that led to redress and reparations for Japanese Americans, this 90-minute roundtable with artists and community organizers discuss the significance and influence of the CWRIC hearings.
- Kathy Masaoka of and
- Kennedy Kabasares of
- Takayo Fischer, cast member of ""
- of PULLproject Ensemble and Nikkei Progressives
Session 2
Stop Repeating History!: A Conversation About U.S. Detention and Deportation
- Moderator: Michael Ishii, co-founder and co-leader of , co-chair of , chair
- Mari Dom-Lopez, deputy program director and advocate for detained unaccompanied immigrant children at
- Guerline Jozef, president of , co-creator of
- Chizu Omori, 91-year-old activist who was interned at Poston, worked on the 1981 redress, plaintiff class action seeking Japanese American redress, which went to Supreme Court, co-producer of "," a film which won many awards, protested in Fort Bliss, Texas, where children are held in detention, member of , and
- Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at (ICIRR)
Session 3
Stop Racism, Hatred and Discrimination
- Moderator: , chair and professor in the National College of Education at National Louis University
- , University of Southern California professor of Religion and East Asian Languages and Cultures
- Jane Charney, assistant vice president for Local Government Affairs,
Session 4
H.R. 40, Black Reparations
- Moderator: Kamm Howard, national co-chair &²Ô²ú²õ±è;(±·â€»ú°¿µþ¸é´¡)
- Jon Osaki, filmmaker, ""
- Robin Rue Simmons of and founder and executive director of
- Rashaun Williams, co-chair of (N’COBRA PHL)
