The importance of adhering to the U.S. Constitution's core principles, in the face of fear and hatred was stressed profoundly to a full house in Goodrich Chapel last night, as author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston discussed the writing of her landmark memoir, Farewell to Manzanar.  Houston spent the day meeting with Albion students, faculty and staff, as the chosen author for the College's 2004 Common Reading Experience.

 More than 60 years ago, and more than 2,000 miles away, seven-year-old Jeanne Wakatsuki spent three years of her childhood as an "internee" of the United States government.  Some 120,000 people, mostly American citizens of Japanese ancestry, were essentially held as virtual prisoners by the U.S. government during World War II, believed to be national security threats. 

Although no charges were ever filed against any of the internees, Houston explained that a deep sense of shame and guilt pervaded the internees, enabling the general American population to overlook this injustice for decades.  "I asked my mother, 'why are we in this prison?' and she told me, 'It's because we're Japanese,'" Houston recalled to the crowd.  "What I took away from that conversation was that it wasn't just unfortunate to be Japanese; it was criminal."

Houston's memoir, published in 1973, was the first work on the subject ever written by an internee, has educated millions of Americans on an issue that Houston claims must still be addressed.  "After 9/11, you heard stories of violence against Muslims and people who just looked like they were Middle Eastern," Houston explains.  "It's a mistake for people to act out of fear, or to let the government act out of fear.  We are a country that is ruled by law and the constitution.  We have to hold to that."

Asian Awareness Group president Kirk Iwasaki, whose four grandparents were all internees during WWII, introduced Houston.