RISE UP/WISE UP

 

LESSONS LEARNED OR LESSONS LINGERING

Recently I set out to find out more about why the Japanese came to British Columbia in the late 1800s. I attended a presentation at the local library entitled “History of the Japanese in Ridge Meadows,” and what a great history lesson it was.

Back in the late 1800s, British Columbia was a basically new place to develop and settle. The province needed workers to build the great potential of the fishery, lumber and mining industries, and later workers to build the Trans Canada railway and highway. People of Japan received the news with open arms and sought this opportunity to carve out a better life for themselves and their families.

Initially things went great. They were welcomed and appreciated, until it became obvious that there were excelling exponentially in their business acumen and seemingly dominating in terms of success. Community and workplace spats and fights turned to bigotry and racism. Discriminatory laws were passed to salvage ‘white’ supremacy, and the lives of the Japanese became sad, scary and lonely.

Then, suddenly, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbour things got even worse. Anyone that was or looked Japanese was triggered as a spy or enemy. Drastic measures were taken. Paranoia plagued the world and panic led public policy decision making.

One such example was the plight of all Japanese and people of Japanese descent in the coastal regions of British Columbia— including Maple Ridge. They were hurriedly packed up like herds of cattle, and either imprisoned, interned in remote camps or left to settle with nothing but the shirts on their back in inland communities. Their properties and belongings were seized and sold. The government made sure they were thinly spread around remote areas so they could not congregate, plot or strategize ways to communicate information to or from Japan.

Yet, despite their sadness, fear and loneliness, they persevered in the worst of circumstances and conditions. Although they had been marginalized and racialised, they steadfastly rebuilt their lives, settled in new places, and learned how to live through the atrocities before them. Very few ultimately returned to Japan and, in 1949 when restrictions were lifted, even fewer returned to the coastal regions. They are proud people.

We can only guess at the very real impact the state betrayal, and the community prejudice, judgement and racism, had on an innocent group of people with different skin colour and facial features. And, what about the impact on the generations of Canadians of Japanese descent that followed? Is everyone now supposed to forget about it, pretend it didn’t happen or even minimize the impact?

The Japanese story in British Columbia is not unique. Such atrocities happened all around the world. It is only now when subsequent generations of reasonable thinking people have stepped to the plate and said “Hey wait a minute!”, that retribution and some forms of reconciliation or settlement measures have taken place — socially and politically.

Apologies and retribution have been accomplished for the Japanese story — that whole process went very quickly and smoothly because it was a no brainer to do so.

Presentations like this one about the Japanese don’t only take place to inform and educate the audience about something Japan-specific. They are instrumental in opening eyes and ears to parallel examples that for generations have been ignored or overlooked. That said: let’s all hope we can keep those informed brain cells healthy and alive to bring the other shameful political, social and human atrocities we all know about — to resolution as well.

Rise up and wise up!