Ugly History: Japanese American incarceration camps - Densho

Prevodilac: Stefan Vesić Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

On December 7, 1941,

Sedmog decembra 1941. godine,

16 year-old Aki Kurose shared in the horror of millions of Americans

šesnaestogodišnja Aki Kurose je zajedno sa milionima Amerikanaca

when Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor.

osetila užas kada su japanski avioni napali Perl Harbor.

What she did not know,

Ono što nije mogla da zna

was how that shared experience

je da će upravo zbog tog osećaja užasa

would soon leave her family and over 120,000 Japanese Americans

njena porodica i više od 120 000 Japanaca u Americi

alienated from their country,

postati otuđeni od svoje zemlje,

both socially and physically.

i socijalno i fizički.

As of 1941,

Od 1941. godine,

Japanese American communities had been growing in the US for over 50 years.

broj Japanaca u Americi je rastao tokom više od 50 godina.

About one-third of them were immigrants,

Otprilike jedna trećina bili su imigranti.

many of whom settled on the West Coast and had lived there for decades.

Mnogi od njih naselili su se na Zapadnoj obali i živeli tu decenijama.

The rest were born as American citizens, like Aki.

Ostali su se rodili kao američki državljani, poput Aki.

Born Akiko Kato in Seattle,

Rođena kao Akiko Kato u Sijetlu,

Aki grew up in a diverse neighborhood

Aki je odrasla u mestu punom različitosti

where she never thought of herself as anything but American–

gde je sebe uvek gledala isključivo kao Amerikanku -

until the day after the attack, when a teacher told her:

do dana nakon napada, kada joj je nastavnik rekao:

“You people bombed Pearl Harbor."

„Tvoj narod je bombardovao Perl Harbor."

Amid racism, paranoia, and fears of sabotage,

Zbog rasizma, paranoje i straha da će ih sabotirati,

people labelled Japanese Americans as potential traitors.

Japanci u Americi obeleženi su kao potencijalni izdajnici.

FBI agents began to search homes, confiscate belongings

Agenti Ef-Bi-Aja krenuli su da pretražuju domove, zaplenjuju stvari

and detain community leaders without trial.

i privode vođe te zajednice bez suđenja.

Aki’s family was not immediately subjected to these extreme measures,

Akina porodica nije osetila ove ekstremne mere odmah,

but on February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066.

ali 19. februara 1942. godine, predsednik Ruzvelt izdao je izvršni nalog 9066.

The order authorized the removal of any suspected enemies–

Nalog je odobrio uklanjanje svih ljudi za koje se sumnjalo da su neprijatelji -

including anyone of even partial Japanese heritage–

uključujući i bilo koga ko je i delimično japanskog porekla -

from designated ‘military areas.’

iz označenih vojnih zona.

At first,

U početku,

Japanese Americans were pushed to leave restricted areas and migrate inland.

Japance su isterivali iz zabranjenih zona, usmeravajući ih ka unutrašnjosti zemlje.

But as the government froze their bank accounts

Međutim, kada im je vlada ugasila bankovne račune

and imposed local restrictions such as curfews,

i uspostavila ograničenja poput policijskog časa,

many were unable to leave– Aki’s family among them.

mnogi nisu mogli da odu, uključujući i Akinu porodicu.

In March, a proclamation forbid Japanese Americans from changing their residency,

U martu, Japancima je proglasom zabranjeno da menjaju mesto boravka,

trapping them in military zones.

što ih je ostavilo zarobljenim u vojnim zonama.

In May, the army moved Aki and her family,

U maju, vojska je Aki i njenu porodicu,

along with over 7,000 Japanese Americans living in Seattle

zajedno sa preko 7 000 Japanaca koji su živeli u Sijetlu,

to "Camp Harmony" in Puyallup, Washington.

odvela u kamp „Harmonija“ u Pjualupu u državi Vašington.

This was one of several makeshift detention centers

To je bio jedan od privremenih centara za pritvor,

at former fairgrounds and racetracks,

gde su se nekada nalazila sajmišta i trkačke staze,

where entire families were packed into poorly converted stables and barracks.

a sada loše prilagođene štale i barake u koje su smeštali čitave porodice.

Over the ensuing months,

Tokom narednih meseci,

the army moved Japanese Americans into long-term camps

vojska je preseljavala Japance u ono što će biti stalni kampovi

in desolate areas of the West and South,

u pustim područjima zapadnih i južnih delova zemlje,

moving Aki and her family to Minidoka in southern Idaho.

odvevši Aki i njenu porodicu u Minidoku u južnom Ajdahu.

Guarded by armed soldiers,

Mnogi od ovih kampova, koje su čuvali naoružani vojnici,

many of these camps were still being constructed when incarcerees moved in.

su još uvek bili u izgradnji kada su zatvorenici dovedeni.

These hastily built prisons were overcrowded and unsanitary.

Ovi na brzinu sastavljeni zatvori bili su prenaseljeni i nehigijenski.

People frequently fell ill and were unable to receive proper medical care.

Ljudi su se često razboljevali i nisu dobijali adekvatnu medicinsku pomoć.

The War Relocation Authority relied on incarcerees to keep the camps running.

Agencija za ratna preseljenja oslanjala se na zatvorenike

da održavaju kampove u funkciji.

Many worked in camp facilities or taught in poorly equipped classrooms,

Mnogi su radili u prostorijama kampa

ili predavali u loše opremljenim učionicama,

while others raised crops and animals.

dok su ostali gajili biljke i životinje.

Some Japanese Americans rebelled, organizing labor strikes and even rioting.

Neki Japanci su protestovali, organizovali štrajkove radnika i pobune.

But many more, like Aki’s parents, endured.

Ali mnogi drugi su trpeli, poput Akinih roditelja.

They constantly sought to recreate some semblance of life outside the camps,

Stalno su se trudili da rekonstruišu barem deo svojih života pre kampova,

but the reality of their situation was unavoidable.

ali nisu mogli da pobegnu od realnosti svoje trenutne situacije.

Like many younger incarcerees, Aki was determined to leave her camp.

Kao i mnogi mladi zatvorenici, Aki je bila odlučna da ode iz kampa.

She finished her final year of high school at Minidoka,

Završila je poslednju godinu srednje škole u Minidoki

and with the aid of an anti-racist Quaker organization,

i uz pomoć organizacije kvekera koja se bori protiv rasizma,

she was able to enroll at Friends University in Kansas.

uspela je da upiše Univerzitet Frends u Kanzasu.

For Aki’s family however, things wouldn’t begin to change until late 1944.

Međutim, za Akinu porodicu stvari neće početi da se menjaju do pred kraj 1944.

A landmark Supreme Court case

Prekretnica je bio slučaj Vrhovnog suda

ruled that continued detention of American citizens without charges

koji je proglasio da je svako dalje zadržavanje američkih građana bez optužbi

was unconstitutional.

protivzakonito.

In the fall of 1945,

Na jesen 1945. godine,

the war ended and the camps closed down.

rat se završio i kampovi su ugašeni.

Remaining incarcerees were given a mere $25

Preostali zatvorenici dobili su celih 25 dolara

and a train ticket to their pre-war address,

i voznu kartu do svojih adresa na kojima su živeli pre rata,

but many no longer had a home or job to return to.

ali mnogi nisu više imali dom niti posao kojima bi mogli da se vrate.

Aki’s family had been able to keep their apartment,

Akina porodica uspela je da zadrži svoj stan,

and Aki eventually returned to Seattle after college.

a Aki se naposletku vratila u Sijetl nakon završetka fakulteta.

However, post-war prejudice made finding work difficult.

Međutim, zbog posleratnih predrasuda bilo je teško naći posao.

Incarcarees faced discrimination and resentment

Zatvorenike su sačekali diskriminacija i prezir

from workers and tenants who replaced them.

od strane radnika i stanara koji su došli na njihovo mesto.

Fortunately, Japanese Americans weren’t alone

Srećom, Japanci u Americi nisu bili sami

in the fight against racial discrimination.

u borbi protiv rasne diskriminacije.

Aki found work with one of Seattle’s first interracial labor unions

Aki se zaposlila pomoću jednog od prvih sindikata međurasnih radnika u Sijetlu

and joined the Congress of Racial Equality.

i priključila se Kongresu za rasnu jednakost.

She became a teacher, and over the next several decades,

Postala je nastavnica i tokom sledećih nekoliko decenija

her advocacy for multicultural, socially conscious education

zagovarala je multikulturalno obrazovanje

koje se bavi i socijalnim aspektom društva,

would impact thousands of students.

što će imati uticaja na hiljade učenika.

However, many ex-incarcerees, particularly members of older generations,

Međutim, mnogi bivši zatvorenici, posebno oni starije generacije,

were unable to rebuild their lives after the war.

nisu uspeli da oporave svoje živote posle rata.

Children of incarcerees began a movement

Deca bivših zatvorenika započela su pokret

calling for the United States to atone for this historic injustice.

koji je zahtevao da se Sjedinjene Države iskupe za ovu istorijsku nepravdu.

In 1988, the US government officially apologized for the wartime incarceration–

Godine 1988. američka vlada uputila je zvanično izvinjenje za hapšenja u ratu,

admitting it was the catastrophic result of racism, hysteria,

priznavši da je taj čin bio strašna posledica rasizma, histerije

and failed political leadership.

i lošeg upravljanja države.

Three years after this apology,

Tri godine nakon ovog izvinjenja,

Aki Kurose was awarded the Human Rights Award

Aki Kurose dobila je nagradu za borbu za ljudska prava

from the Seattle Chapter of the United Nations,

od ogranka Ujedinjenih Nacija u Sijetlu,

celebrating her vision of peace and respect for people of all backgrounds.

time veličajući njenu viziju o miru i poštovanju ljudi svakog porekla.