A Little Known Case For Redress Railroad and Mine Workers

              National Japanese American Historical Society
very humiliated. Here he was, the head •
of the family, and he was no longer I
able to provide for the family." *
According  to  Otani,  two  agents I
came and watched over the family as :
they were moving out. Her sister testi- •
fied that one was an FBI agent.
Other stories of railroad and mine :
workers echo the hardships endured •
following the firings. At the encour- j
agement of Michi Weglyn, these inno- I
cent victims began to tell their stories •
over the past year. :
ras :
In her five-year quest for redress, J
Shimada collected mountains of news- :
paper articles, correspondence and \
other materials on numerous trips to j
universities and historical societies.
The National Coalition for Redress •
and Reparations in Los Angeles, in- •
strumental   in   seeing   the   original :
redress bill passed, has been monitor- I
ing the situation. NCRR is organizing :
a trip to Washington, D.C., to ask the J
ORA to implement the "benefit of the j
doubt" clause, which can grant redress I
if there is enough evidence to show the •
probability of occurrence.
The NCRR has also consulted with :
the Japanese American Bar Associa- •
tion's Pro Bono Committee in L.A. :
Attorneys expressed "strong interest" J
in taking on the case. j
The Japanese American  Citizens •
League has also been supportive. In :
July 1997, Patty Wada, district director •
of the Northern California-Western :
Nevada-Pacific   JACL,   convened   a •
gathering where railroad and mining :
families seeking redress were able to *
meet for the first time to network and :
share their painful experience.
"I know the government ordered I
the firings, " declared Shimada. "I just •
want the federal government to admit ;
they did it, for my dad." ■
Victory at LaSti (cont'd from p. 11)	
Redress Administration said in a press
statement that at least 15 workers were
fired in February of 1942 because of an
"unjustified perception" that they
posed a security risk "solely because of
their Japanese ancestry." The ORA also
stated that the federal government
played a role in the firings by private
employers.
The ORA went on to say that families of dismissed employees are also
eligible for redress due to "constructive
relocation". The agency conceded that
"the nature of the work in the railroad
and mining industries required that
these workers, and their families, move
to, and reside in, locations solely dictated by their employers' needs. As a
result, when the railroad or mine
worker was terminated, job prospects,
in what often was a company town,
were nonexistent, and the family was
forced to relocate elsewhere to survive."
Shimada praised key figures who
aided the workers and their families in
this eleventh hour struggle for justice:
"If it weren't for the NCRR and the
JACL, we wouldn't have gotten it. They
wouldn't listen to us individually." She
lauded historian Michi Weglyn for
"keeping us on task. She was the inspiration that we needed to keep us
going," adding that "Andrew Russell's
paper was the final push."
Patti Wada, JACL's Northern
California Director, added, "You have
to give credit to Bill Lann Lee for taking another look at it. Ochi called Lee
a "sensitive and courageous person."
The ORA estimates that at least 15
former employees and 155 family
members may be eligible for redress,
although the actual number may be
much higher.
Those seeking redress are urged by
the ORA to file claims by April 10,
1998 to have their cases fully resolved.
The redress program is scheduled to
sunset on Aug. 10.
The ORA can be reached by calling
1-888-219-6900, or writing to PO Box
66260, Washington, D.C. 20035-6260.
Their website is: http://www.usdoj.
gov/crt/ora/main.html. ■
Patriotism and Prejudice (from p. 5)	
dred years. This same location now
offers bountiful opportunities to interact with the cultures of the Pacific Rim
in a peaceful and mutually beneficial
way.
NPS has been discussing several
exciting educational possibilities with
NJAHS. Regular tours developed with,
and led by, wartime veterans or former
internees deliver a powerful message
first-hand. Educational signs to be
placed outside the MISLS building will
present the story of patriotism in the
face of prejudice to numerous visitors
who would otherwise pass the site by.
Teacher training materials on this
theme can be produced for school
groups visiting the Presidio. Finally,
the interest of NJAHS in the preservation of the Language School Building
provides a special opportunity for the
Presidio Trust to consider an adaptive
re-use proposal from a potential tenant with specific historic roots to the
site. As the Park Service implements
sweeping improvement to the adjoining waterfront, the area of the
Language School building will see
increasing and diverse visitor activity.
Through partnerships such as this,
NPS hopes to encourage the public to
develop a sense of personal ownership
and involvement with resources within our national parks which reflect our
nation's diverse heritage. The Park
Service looks forward to working with
NJAHS to make the most of the
opportunities before us. ■
Nikkei Heritage • Spring 1998    13