Who Will You Stand Up For?

However, acts of solidarity from those outside the community played a crucial role in supporting those in the camps. Some friends and neighbors took care of properties left behind. Spouses of Japanese Americans and a Mexican American student, Ralph Lazo, voluntarily accompanied their loved ones despite the hardship.

Inside the camps, Japanese Americans demonstrated remarkable resilience, striving to create a sense of normalcy amidst their harsh conditions. They worked to uphold their dignity and cultural identity through art, education, and community activities.

Legal battles, like the four landmark Supreme Court cases challenging the wartime incarceration, have since become cornerstones in the ongoing fight against racial discrimination and injustice. Connections between Japanese Americans and other marginalized people have grown since the Civil Rights era as they continue to fight for equal rights and link the incarceration to injustices today.

"Only what we could carry’ was the rule; so, we carried Strength, Dignity, and Soul.”

- Lawson Fusao Inada