An Oregon State Bill Seeks to Right a WWII Injustice
Many former JA WWII internees never got a chance to receive their college degrees before being incarcerated. Now they may finally get their diplomas.
Righting an injustice isn't the only reason Oregon State Rep. Brian Clem chose to sponsor and co-write House Bill 2823. He is dedicating the bill to his late father-in-law Hideo Suzuki.
Suzuki was one of thousands of Japanese American Oregonians who were forced into World War II internment camps. Many of them were attending local colleges and universities at the time, never getting the chance to complete their education and receive their college diplomas.
House Bill 2823 aims to right that injustice.
"This issue in general has a personal element for me. I never knew much about the internment until I started dating Carol," said Rep. Clem, D-Salem, a Caucasian who is married to Sansei Carol Suzuki. "I was shocked that it happened in our country."
HR 2823 will grant honorary college or university degrees to former internees who were evacuated from Oregon and forced to leave school under Executive Order 9066 in 1942.
Sponsors of the bill - including Rep. Tina Kotek, D-Portland - aren't sure how many of the former internees are still alive today to request the honorary degrees but the bill allows family members to request the degrees on behalf of deceased relatives. So far about 10 former internees have already contacted Clem's office.
Oregon's House Education Committee approved the bill on March 23. The bill now heads to the House floor.
Clem's father-in-law Hideo was incarcerated at the Tule Lake Relocation Center during WWII. A successful orchardist and businessman, he passed away in 2004. In total about 4,000 JAs living in Oregon were forced into internment camps during the War.
"He would have been supportive [of the bill]. Like many Nisei, he didn't talk a lot about the internment," said Carol, a member of the Oregon Commission on Asian Affairs, about her late father.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the WWII internment of persons and Japanese ancestry and Clem believes passing HR 2823 would be a fitting tribute to those who suffered through this injustice.
"It makes sense right now," said Clem, who noted that his colleagues have been very supportive of the bill.
"No amount of legislation will ever be able to repair the damage endured by Japanese Americans as a result of internment," said John Kodachi, JACL Portland chapter president. "But this bill acknowledges the losses - in education, in time and in dignity - that Japanese Americans endured during this chapter in American history"
HR 2823 was scheduled to go before the full House on April 2 and will then proceed to the Senate for debate and a vote. If both the House and Senate approve the bill, organizers will begin the process of contacting former internees and planning a ceremony to present the belated diplomas.
"I have a deep interest in this. It is never too late to make this right," said Carol.
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