Posted on: Friday, December 7, 2001

Island Voices
Mistakes of Dec. 7 returned on Sept. 11

By Clyde Owan
President of the Oberlin College Alumni Association

Many have compared the attacks of Sept. 11 to the attack on Pearl Harbor. I remember Pearl Harbor.

I remember Pearl Harbor because I am the son, grandson and friend of Americans who were sent to America's concentration camps during World War II. My family and others of our race were used as scapegoats for the nation's grief and anger over the Dec. 7 attack.

In the aftermath of that attack, American citizens of Japanese ancestry were stereotyped and falsely linked to security threats. They were pronounced guilty because of their race, deprived of their rights, and shipped to places with seemingly innocuous names like Poston, Manzanar, Heart Mountain and Topaz. These destinations were desolate, surrounded by barbed wire.

Japanese Americans did not live in a land of the free, but their young men volunteered for battle and heroically combated the Axis powers.

For decades, Americans of my heritage fought to force the government to apologize and admit wrongdoing. For us, it has been paramount to educate others so this wrong is never repeated.

I know Sept. 11 will be remembered as a day when the world changed. It's hard to comprehend the contempt for human life that the terrorists held.

At the same time, I am deeply troubled by the actions and attitudes of others in our country who compound this world tragedy by employing the same mindset of hatred in their attitudes toward and even violence against Arabs, Muslims and those they merely perceive as Arabs or Muslims.

If we truly believe that we are different from those with little regard for humanity, then our natural feelings of outrage and anger must be coupled with wisdom and moral courage. We cannot regard ourselves as civilized if we acquiesce when the innocent are terrorized, threatened or harassed. We must be more than the sum of our fears. We must be defenders of tolerance, fairness and compassion.

The painful and tragic experiences that my family and others endured during World War II have been imprinted on my conscience. When I look at those who have encountered prejudice or hatred because of recent events, I see reflections of the experiences my parents and grandparents endured.

I remember Pearl Harbor.

I hope you do, too, so that our nation will be strong and just, all its people free and secure.