The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
January forum offered lessons from WWII internment of Japanese Americans
Four days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the U.S. West Coast was declared a theater of war. Ten weeks later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9066, authorizing the removal of any or all people from military areas “as deemed necessary or desirable.”
The parents of John Suzukida, our January forum presenter, were among the nearly 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who were eventually incarcerated in concentration camps in the western interior of the United States.
They were given 48 hours’ notice to leave their homes, and each family was assigned a number. “Ours was 18257,” Suzukida recalled in the captivating and heartfelt story he shared about the experiences of his parents.
Far from home
With only two bags allowed for all their possessions, the family of John’s father, Henry, was moved to a “relocation” camp in Colorado, far from their home in California. They were told they were being moved for their own protection. However, the barbed wire and inward facing guns at the camp suggested otherwise.
John’s mother’s family was “relocated” to Arizona, but she was helped by the Baptist church to attend seminary in Pennsylvania. She was required to carry official “identification papers” to allow her movement across the country—an idea foreign to most Americans.
John Suzukida also told us about the 442nd Infantry Regiment, a fighting unit composed of mostly second-generation Japanese Americans. It played a significant role in the European Theatre and became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history.
The Civil Liberties Act of 1988, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, granted reparations to (American born) Japanese Americans interned during WWII. In 1990, letters of apology signed by President George H.W. Bush were sent to approximately 60,000 survivors of the internment.
As for Henry Suzukida, despite all the challenges he faced he could still say after the war, “It might be looked back upon as an experience in the United States of America that was a result of our own immaturity as a democracy.”
May we all learn from our country’s history and this profound story that was repeated thousands of times in the middle of the last century.
—Eric Hockert, member, UMRA Board of Directors
Internment of Japanese Americans during WWII - a personal story
Tue, January 28 2020, 11:30am
Campus Club 4th Floor, West Wing Dining Room
Nearly 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated in concentration camps in the western interior of the United States during World War II. Their forced relocation and internment were ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt shortly after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Sixty-two percent of the internees were U.S. citizens, including the parents of John H. Suzukida, our guest speaker in January.
Suzukida will speak about his parents’ experiences during WWII. His talk will include historical context and quotes from his parents describing their time of internment, post-war resettlement, and assimilation back into society. He will share pictures, artifacts, and the story of how his parents chose to live with this challenge—being imprisoned while in their early 20s, what they experienced, and how they went on with their lives, leaving the camps with just $25 and a train ticket to a destination of their choice.
Focused on leadership
Suzukida is the founder and president of Lanex Consulting, LLC, where he is primarily focused on working with leadership teams on strategic planning and product-to-solutions business model changes.
Previously, he was senior vice president of marketing and strategy for global commercial business at Trane, a world leader in air conditioning systems and environmental technology.
Suzukida currently leads the board of governors for Steffes, LLC, and previously served as a director or advisor for Terra-Therm, Inc., the Altra Federal Credit Union, and CM Global. He is a member and past club president of Rotary International, the Environmental Quality Committee in Shoreview, the Metro Clean Energy Resource Teams, and Fishing for Fun.
Suzukida has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois but has strong ties to the University of Minnesota: Lori, his wife of 37 years, was an RN patient care coordinator at the U of M Physicians Clinic until her recent retirement; their daughter, Jill, is a graduate of the Medical School; their son Greg earned a BS in mechanical engineering at the U; and their son Matt earned a BS in forestry and will graduate this year from the Carlson School’s Master of Accountancy program.
Come at 10:30 for coffee and conversation
Thanks to the Campus Club, the West Wing Dining Room is available to UMRA members for coffee and conversation before our luncheons. There is no charge and no need to RSVP.
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