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LAD/Blog #35: Home was a Horse Stall

Executive order 9066 was essentially a racist program that excluded Japanese Americans from everyday life in America due to the actions of their former nation. They were banned from the west coast and forced into internment camps where they essentially lived under oppressive, racist marshal law. This was especially painful for first generation immigrants as they had a personal connection with both nations. Many of them did not want to see their two home nations fighting, and held some allegiance to both, but most were more prone to defending the United States.This was also hard on Japanese children, as they were ripped away from their friends, lives, and schools and taken to internment camps. One example of this is Sox, and her difficult upbringing during this time. She is taken away from her home and placed in a new one. That home is a horse stall. This stall was in a small, crowded internment camp which Sox was forced to grow up in. Her experience illustrates how poorly the Japanese were treated during this time. It is especially appalling to me because her and her family expressed no opposition towards the US and never showed signs of aiding the Japanese. One glimmer of a better life that Sox had was the overwhelming sense of community within the camp and the Japanese population. These people banded together to overcome this very hard time. Luckily in 1988, all surviving members of internment camps were given $20,000 as compensation and as an apology for their mistreatment. However this did not make up for the experiences Sox and many others endured.

Japanese on their way to Internment Camps:
Image result for Japanese Internment Camps:

Jews on their way to Concentration Camps:
Image result for busses to Concentration Camps:

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