California’s 2020 Apology to Japanese Americans: Remembering Incarceration and Civil Liberties

February 20, 2020

California Acknowledges a Historic Injustice

Nearly eight decades after Japanese Americans were forcibly removed and incarcerated during World War II, the California State Assembly formally apologized for the state's role in supporting that injustice.

On February 20, 2020, the California State Assembly unanimously adopted House Resolution 77, formally acknowledging and apologizing for California's role in the discrimination, exclusion, removal, and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

The resolution did more than look back at the incarceration itself. It also recognized a longer history of anti-Japanese discrimination in California and the state's failure to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of Japanese Americans during one of the most difficult periods in American history.

What Was California Apologizing For?

Japanese American incarceration was a federal action, but California's history before and during World War II included laws, policies, and political actions that contributed to discrimination against people of Japanese ancestry.

Alien Land Laws

California's 1913 Alien Land Law and later restrictions prevented many Japanese immigrants and other Asian immigrants who were barred from citizenship from owning agricultural land.

Wartime Fear and Prejudice

California political leaders participated in an environment in which people of Japanese ancestry were portrayed as potential threats despite the lack of individualized evidence against the overwhelming majority of those eventually removed.

Failure to Defend Civil Liberties

The Assembly's 2020 resolution acknowledged that California failed to protect the rights and liberties of Japanese Americans as families were removed from their homes and communities.

Executive Order 9066

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. The order authorized military exclusion zones and set in motion the forced removal and incarceration of more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry. Most were living on the West Coast, and a majority were United States citizens.

Families lost homes, farms, businesses, possessions, careers, and years of freedom. The California Assembly's apology recognized that these consequences were not only the result of federal decisions but occurred within a broader climate of racial prejudice and political failure.

California Assembly House Resolution 77

The Assembly formally apologized for its support of the unjust exclusion, removal, and incarceration of Japanese Americans and for failing to defend their civil rights and civil liberties.

California State Assembly, 2020

Read More About the Apology

The apology itself and contemporary reporting about its adoption provide excellent resources for discussing historical memory, government responsibility, redress, and the ways societies confront past injustice.

READ CALIFORNIA HR 77

READ THE NPR REPORT

An Opportunity for Historical Inquiry

For students, the 2020 apology creates an opportunity to connect a World War II-era event with questions about historical memory and civic responsibility.

• Why might a government apologize for actions taken generations earlier?

• What responsibility does a state have to acknowledge violations of civil liberties?

• What is the difference between apology, redress, reparations, and remembrance?

• How does the language of HR 77 describe the causes and consequences of incarceration?

• Why is it important to compare the government's explanation at the time with later historical findings?

From Federal Redress to California's Apology

The California apology came decades after the federal government's own redress process. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, which formally apologized on behalf of the United States and authorized payments to eligible surviving Japanese Americans who had been incarcerated.

California's 2020 resolution addressed a different question: the responsibility of the state itself. By acknowledging the role of California laws, political actions, and failures of leadership, the resolution added another layer to the public record of how incarceration became possible.

SOC 984

Japanese Internment Camps: Pearl Harbor–Post Release

SOC 984 gives educators an opportunity to explore Japanese American incarceration from Pearl Harbor through removal, camp life, civil liberties, resistance, military service, postwar experiences, redress, and remembrance.

The course provides three graduate-level professional development credits through Fresno Pacific University's Center for Professional Development.

Complete the online, self-paced course in as little as three weeks, with up to one year available for completion.

SAVE $15 ON MY COURSES  •  USE CODE: WINTER45

VIEW MY COURSES AT FPU

EXPLORE SOC 984 COURSE DETAILS

Why Remembrance Matters

An apology cannot undo what happened. It can, however, acknowledge injustice, preserve historical memory, and encourage future generations to examine what can occur when prejudice and fear outweigh the protection of civil liberties.

Share This Post

Facebook LinkedIn X Pinterest Copy Link