AHB is saddened and horrified by the racist comments made by the anonymous cowards who “zoom bombed”  Clarence Morikawi’s  extraordinary zoom presentation “Let it Not Happen Again, Lessons of the Japanese American Exclusion,” sponsored by Humanities Washington and Arts & Humanities Bainbridge. 

Mr. Morikawi is President of the Japanese American Community and founder and former president of Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. 

The shocking display of bigotry and racism underscores the importance and timeliness of Clarence Morikawi’s message. Clarence shared a human, historical account of the national tragedy of Japanese American exclusion during WWII and  spoke to parallels today regarding fear, racism, and failure of political leadership. 

I invite those of you who haven’t heard Mr Morikawi’s important talk to listen to the replay here:

“Let It Never Happen Again”

In March of 1942, 227 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes on Bainbridge Island by the US Army. Starting with this small community, a national strategy began, with more than 120,000 Japanese American men, women, and children forcibly removed and incarcerated during World War II.

Clarence Moriwaki shares the story of Bainbridge Island—the origin point of the Japanese American exclusion—to provide a human, historical account of this national tragedy, and to ask the question: Are there parallels to what’s happening in America now? Moriwaki uses historical images, including historical and current propaganda, to explore the fear, racism, and failure of political leadership that led to these unconstitutional actions during World War II, and why we must not let it happen again.

Moriwaki is the president of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community and a founder and former president of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association. Moriwaki has written guest editorials on the subject that have been published nationwide. Moriwaki has served as a spokesperson for administrations including the Clinton Administration, the Office of the Governor, and Congressman Jay Inslee.

Moriwaki lives on Bainbridge Island.

LISTEN TO Clarence Moriwaki