A QUESTION OF LOYALTY
or A Quiet American Speaks Out

First, I would like to express my gratitude to those of the JACL who worked so diligently under what must have been rather trying, and often times discouraging, circumstances. Through your perseverance and tenacity you have finally brought this much-debated resolution to fruition. I salute your dedication to the principles of justice and human dignity, the attainment and preservation of which we both share as truly worthy goals.

It is unfortunate that you were denied the unanimous support of your membership and the issue of righteous protest in its many forms still lies enmeshed in the morass of misperception and contention.

The wartime civil rights violation of Japanese Americans is now a matter of historical record. With the passing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the government has acknowledged its massive human rights violations and has rendered a degree of restitution through token monetary compensations, a written apology, and the funding of on-going educational programs.

But what had occurred in the past and is yet to be addressed is the further victimization of Japanese America by a certain faction within the community itself, who joined with errant government agencies and persecuted those who actively opposed its accommodationist policies. The JACL leadership took it upon itself to define loyalty to government agencies, despite their unjust policies, as the only acceptable proof of one’s patriotism. Thus, those who protested the violation of their constitutional rights were condemned as disloyal and punished with physical isolation, psychological harassment and social ostracism, the last two of which continues to this day.

The terms patriotism and loyalty have been bandied about by this organization to justify its many self-promoting programs and image-enhancing efforts in its quest for political empowerment and status as a civil rights organization. Yet its credibility and acceptance as such remains under a cloud of distrust, haunted by the betrayals of its predecessors who acted under the guise of patriotism.

Loyalty and patriotism are the natural and healthy outgrowth of a sincere and wholehearted dedication to the U.S. Constitution and the civil liberties it guarantees. They are not the blind loyalty and blind patriotism that aids and abets errant government agencies in the violation of those guarantees.

Hopefully, this ceremony is the first step in resolving this second great injustice perpetrated on Japanese America. Only through the clear and honest understanding of the true essence of loyalty and patriotism and an acknowledgement of the unfortunate distortion of those terms, no matter how well intended, can we rid Japanese America of this cancerous blight which victimizes the victims, and has divided our community for over half a century. Only then can the JACL hope to proceed on a clear and unencumbered path as a bona-fide civil rights organization.

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