Panel 48: Asian America: Internment, Exclusion, and Inclusion

Chair: Eun-Young Julia Kim, University of Notre Dame

Panelists

Shuma Iwai, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, “We Sold Everything We Could and Became ‘Enemy Aliens’: Exile of Japanese Americans”

This presentation examines activism and challenges leaders from American institutions and organizations experienced in order to protect human rights of Japanese Americans at the incarceration camps during World War II. The U.S. considered Japanese Americans U.S. enemies and a national threat; therefore, Japanese Americans were exiled to the incarceration camps from 1942 to 1945 without proper trial. During this time, they confronted injustices, racial discrimination, and mistreatment at the camps. While the U.S. War Relocation Authority (WRA) controlled and monitored many social and daily activities at the camps, religious practices were allowed as far as their purpose was to maintain the same religious life as prewar. White Christian leaders, many of whom were missionaries in Japan, and their organizations, such as the American Friends Service Committee Archives (AFSC) and the Protestant Church Commission, encountered limitations in supporting religious activities within the camps. Therefore,they concentrated on shaping public relations for Japanese Christians in the camps through media and publications as well as offering material and financial supplies and services for Japanese Americans in the camps. They also advocated for their resettlement from the camps and provided financial support for college scholarships for Japanese Americans who were forced to discontinue their education due to the incarceration camps. The presentation will also include other American institutions’ efforts to protect human rights of Japanese Americans and incorporate narratives and testimonies from the incarcerees to offer insight into their experiences.

Manoka Y, Kent State University, “Anti-Asian Racism: Deportation of Cambodian Americans”

The deportation of Cambodian Americans highlights systemic anti-Asian racism within US immigration policy, particularly affecting those with refugee backgrounds tied to the Cambodian genocide. Despite resettlement as refugees, many face deportation due to past criminal convictions or immigration violations, revealing complexities and injustices within the system. This departure from the spirit of the Refugee Act of 1980, aimed at aiding those fleeing conflict, underscores broader patterns of discrimination faced by Asian communities in the US, echoing historical injustices like the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese American internment. In the face of recent anti-Asian violence and discrimination, addressing systemic racism in immigration policies is crucial, emphasising the need for reform to protect vulnerable refugee populations and uphold principles of justice and equality. The deportation of Cambodian Americans not only disrupts lives but also perpetuates intergenerational trauma within their communities. Supporting Cambodian American communities, particularly the 1.5 and second generations, requires access to legal resources, mental health services, and community support networks. Collective action is essential for building a fairer society.

Eun-Young Julia Kim, University of Notre Dame, “Images of Asian Americans in the Public Discourse of Asian American Centers in the U.S. Higher Education”

Some U.S. colleges and universities currently operate centers designated for the Asian American community on campus. These centers are typically under the auspices of student affairs or diversity and inclusion division and offer programs and resources to support a loosely and varyingly defined group, ‘Asian Americans.’ This study examines how these centers define their goals and how they conceptualize Asian Americans and the issues surrounding the Asian American communities. The study analyzes the mission/goal statements of 41 Asian American centers in U.S. higher education, publicly available online from their websites. The analysis shows that most centers aim at promoting in-group solidarity and improving retention and graduation rate of Asian American students. It also shows that the definitions of Asian Americans vary across institutions, and Asians and Asian Americans are often conflated. Asian Americans are often portrayed as sharing common experiences while possessing complex, intersectional identities that need definition and affirmation through the help of the centers. This study problematizes these conceptualizations and discusses how they can play into the hands of identity politics and perpetuate racial othering.