Dear Friend,

The incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II is a lesson in the power of words when paired with fear and hatred. In speeches, newspaper editorials and political cartoons, Japanese Americans were demonized as spies, terrorists, and incapable of being American. Although the charges and rumors were false, 120,000 U.S. citizens and legal residents were imprisoned without trial, persecuted by the fearful, racist words of politicians and the media, and with only silence from those who knew better.

Today, the hateful, negative speeches of Donald Trump are more than just words to win an election. They are words seeping into the fabric of our country’s consciousness, often polluting the minds of our youth. A recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Center looked at the impact the presidential campaign was having on students. A couple of findings from the report stood out for me.

“More than two-thirds of the teachers reported that students—mainly immigrants, children of immigrants and Muslims—have expressed concerns or fears about what might happen to them or their families after the election.”

“Many children, however, are not afraid at all. Rather, some are using the word Trump as a taunt or as a chant as they gang up on others. Muslim children are being called terrorist or ISIS or bomber.”

We cannot sit quietly and watch as the very tenets of our hard-won civil rights and values are eroded. I welcome any ideas or suggestions you have on how we can help forward our democracy, rather than tear it down. Email me at tom.ikeda@densho.org with your thoughts.

Tom