Ugly History: Japanese American incarceration camps - Densho

翻译人员: Carol Wang 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

On December 7, 1941,

1941 年 12 月 7 日，

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

当日军飞机袭击珍珠港时，

年仅 16岁 的阿琦·黑濑 和数百万美国人一样震惊了。

when Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor.

What she did not know,

当时的她想不到的是，

was how that shared experience

那种共同经历

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

将如何令她的家人 和逾 12 万日裔美国人

alienated from their country,

与他们所在的国家疏远，

both socially and physically.

无论从社会上，还是身体上。

As of 1941,

截至 1941 年，

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

日裔美国社区 已在美国发展了 50 余年。

About one-third of them were immigrants,

其中约有三分之一是移民，

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

其中许多人定居在西海岸， 并已在那里生活了几十年，

The rest were born as American citizens, like Aki.

其余人同阿琦一样， 是在美国出生的公民。

Born Akiko Kato in Seattle,

生于西雅图，出生名为加藤·亚希子的

Aki grew up in a diverse neighborhood

阿琦在一个多元化的社区长大，

where she never thought of herself as anything but American–

她压根儿没想过自己不是美国人——

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

直到袭击发生的第二天， 老师告诉她说：

“You people bombed Pearl Harbor."

“ 你们的人轰炸了珍珠港 ！”

Amid racism, paranoia, and fears of sabotage,

由于种族主义、怀疑 和对破坏的恐惧，

people labelled Japanese Americans as potential traitors.

日裔美国人被称为潜在的叛徒。

FBI agents began to search homes, confiscate belongings

FBI 特工开始搜查其房屋、

没收财产、并未经审判 而关押社区领导人。

and detain community leaders without trial.

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

阿琦的家人没有立即受到 这些极端措施的制裁，

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

但罗斯福总统于 1942 年 2 月 19 日 发布了 9066 号行政命令。

The order authorized the removal of any suspected enemies–

该命令授权从指定的 “军事区”

including anyone of even partial Japanese heritage–

遣散所有可疑敌人——

from designated ‘military areas.’

甚至包括那些 只有部分日本血统的人。

At first,

起初，

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

日裔美国人被迫 离开禁区向内陆迁移。

But as the government froze their bank accounts

但是，由于政府冻结了他们的银行帐户，

and imposed local restrictions such as curfews,

并实行了宵禁等当地限制，

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

许多人无法离开—— 其中就包括阿琦的家人。

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

3 月，一项公告 禁止日裔美国人改变居住地，

trapping them in military zones.

将他们困在军事区。

In May, the army moved Aki and her family,

5 月，军队将阿琦及家人

along with over 7,000 Japanese Americans living in Seattle

和居住在西雅图的 七千多名日裔美国人一起

to "Camp Harmony" in Puyallup, Washington.

转移到位于华盛顿州 皮阿拉普的 “和谐营地”。

This was one of several makeshift detention centers

这是以前建在集市和赛马场的

at former fairgrounds and racetracks,

几个临时监禁中心之一，

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

整个一家人挤在 改建粗陋的马厩和棚屋。

Over the ensuing months,

在随后的几个月中，

the army moved Japanese Americans into long-term camps

军队将日裔美国人转移到

位于西部和南部荒凉地区长期营地，

in desolate areas of the West and South,

moving Aki and her family to Minidoka in southern Idaho.

阿琦和家人被转移到了 爱达荷州南部的米尼多卡。

Guarded by armed soldiers,

营地由全副武装的军人看守，

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

被关押者移入时， 许多营地仍在建造中。

These hastily built prisons were overcrowded and unsanitary.

这些草草建造的监狱 人满为患且不卫生，

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

人们经常生病， 无法获得适当的医疗护理。

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

战争搬迁管理局 依靠被关押者来维持营地运转，

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

许多人在营地设施中工作， 或在简陋的教室里教书，

while others raised crops and animals.

而其他人则种庄稼和饲养牲畜。

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

一些日裔美国人进行反抗， 组织了罢工甚至骚乱。

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

但很多人像阿琦父母一样， 他们选择了忍受。

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

他们不断寻求重建 像原来在营地外的生活，

but the reality of their situation was unavoidable.

但残酷的现实却规避不了。

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

像许多年轻的被关押者一样， 阿琦决心离开拘留营。

She finished her final year of high school at Minidoka,

她在米尼多卡读完了高中最后一年，

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

在一个反种族主义的 贵格会组织帮助下，

she was able to enroll at Friends University in Kansas.

她得以就读于堪萨斯州的教友大学。

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

但对于阿琦家人而言， 到 1944 年下半年境况才开始改变。

A landmark Supreme Court case

一个具有里程碑意义的 最高法院的案件裁定，

ruled that continued detention of American citizens without charges

未经指控继续关押美国公民

was unconstitutional.

是违反宪法的。

In the fall of 1945,

1945 年秋天，

the war ended and the camps closed down.

二战结束，营地关闭。

Remaining incarcerees were given a mere $25

剩下的被关押者只获得了25美元

and a train ticket to their pre-war address,

和一张前往战前地址的火车票，

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

但许多人已失去原来的工作 或已无家可回。

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

阿琦的家人得以保留自己的公寓，

and Aki eventually returned to Seattle after college.

阿琦大学毕业后终于回到了西雅图。

However, post-war prejudice made finding work difficult.

但是，战后的偏见 使得被关押者很难找工作，

Incarcarees faced discrimination and resentment

他们还要遭受

来自那些取代他们的 工人和租户的歧视和白眼。

from workers and tenants who replaced them.

Fortunately, Japanese Americans weren’t alone

幸运的是，

并非只有日裔美国人 在与种族歧视作斗争。

in the fight against racial discrimination.

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

阿琦在西雅图最早的 跨种族工会之一找到了工作，

and joined the Congress of Racial Equality.

并加入了争取种族平等大会。

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

她成为一名老师， 在接下来的几十年中，

her advocacy for multicultural, socially conscious education

她对多元文化和 具有社会意识教育的倡导

would impact thousands of students.

影响了成千上万的学生。

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

但许多前被关押者， 特别是第一代移民老人，

were unable to rebuild their lives after the war.

在战后无法重建生活。

被关押者的子女们发起了一项运动，

Children of incarcerees began a movement

呼吁美国为这一历史性的 不公正行为予以补偿。

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

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

1988 年，美国政府 为战时监禁而公开道歉，

admitting it was the catastrophic result of racism, hysteria,

承认这是种族主义、歇斯底里

and failed political leadership.

和政治领导失败的灾难性结果。

Three years after this apology,

官方道歉三年后，

Aki Kurose was awarded the Human Rights Award

阿琦·黑濑荣获

联合国西雅图分会颁发的人权奖，

from the Seattle Chapter of the United Nations,

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

以表彰她对和平 与尊重不同背景的人的远见。