*EPF203 07/03/01
Text: Senator Akaka Hails Opening of Japanese American Memorial
(Memorial honors Japanese American patriotism in WWII) (750)
Senator Daniel Akaka (Democrat of Hawaii) says a memorial honoring Japanese Americans will remind all Americans that "courage, honor, and loyalty transcend race, culture, and ethnicity."
Akaka, in a June 29 speech to the Senate, said the latest memorial in Washington, D.C. not only honors the sacrifices of Japanese Americans who fought overseas for their homeland during World War II, but also recognizes "the sacrifices of the civilian nisei on the homefront, who continued to support the war effort while enduring the prejudice of fellow citizens as well as the wholesale violation of their civil rights by the U.S. Government."
Akaka also praised the efforts of Senator Daniel Inouye (Democrat of Hawaii) and Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta "for their leadership in gaining congressional authorization for the memorial and their support for the work of the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation."
Following is the text of Akaka's speech from the Congressional Record:
(begin text)
FORMAL OPENING OF THE NATIONAL JAPANESE AMERICAN MEMORIAL
Senate
June 29, 2001
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, earlier this afternoon, a few short blocks from this Chamber and in the shadow of the Capitol, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the formal opening of the National Japanese American Memorial honoring the loyalty and courage of Japanese Americans during the Second World War.
As a World War II veteran and a native of Hawaii, I am well-acquainted with the exceptional contributions of Japanese Americans to the war effort, both at home and abroad. The battlefield exploits of the 442nd, 100th, and the MIS immediately come to mind. Less known but equally deserving of recognition are the sacrifices of the civilian nisei on the homefront, who continued to support the war effort while enduring the prejudice of fellow citizens as well as the wholesale violation of their civil rights by the U.S. Government.
This new memorial honors the valor and sacrifice of the hundreds of brave men who fought and died for their country, and it also speaks to the faith and perseverance of 120,000 Japanese Americans and nationals, who solely on the basis of race, regardless of citizenship or loyalty, without proof or justification, were denied their civil rights in what history will record as one of our Nation's most shameful acts. This memorial commemorates these events in our Nation's history. It will remind us of the consequences of allowing hysteria and racial prejudice to override constitutional rights, and, I hope, that we teach this lesson to our children to avoid a repetition of our mistakes.
I congratulate the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation for the tremendous effort that went into organizing and building the Memorial to Patriotism. Thousands of Americans from around the country donated funds to build the memorial. Over 2,000 Hawaii residents contributed approximately $1 million to this worthy project. The completed memorial is both inspiration and educational. First and foremost, the memorial honors the memory of those who gave their lives in defense of our freedom and liberty and remembers all those who were dislocated or interned from 1942 to 1945. In addition, the memorial draws on a few striking elements to cause one to meditate on the wartime experiences of Japanese Americans. The crane sculpture by Nina Akamu, a Hawaii-born artist, speaks to the prejudice and injustice confronted by Japanese Americans, and in a larger context speaks to the resiliency of the human spirit over adversity. The bell created by Paul Matisse encourages reflection, its toll marking the struggle and sacrifice of Japanese Americans in our Nation's history and reminding us of our shared responsibility to defend the civil rights and liberties of all Americans.
I would also like to congratulate our friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Hawaii [Mr. INOUYE] and my friend, Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta, a former Member of Congress, for their leadership in gaining Congressional authorization for the memorial and their support for the work of the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation.
Today's formal opening of this Memorial to Patriotism by the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation in the Nation's capital is a timely and necessary endeavor, for it reminds us, and future generations of Americans that courage, honor, and loyalty transcend race, culture, and ethnicity.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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