The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Brandon Iwamoto Founder of Empowerful Changes and former Asian Avenue Magazine Editor in Chief Erin Yoshimura poses for a portrait atop her grandfather's suitcase that he packed his belongings in when sent to the Jerome internment camp in southern Arkansas. Yoshimura spoke about Asian-Americans and how internment has affected her life during an A/PASS and ASAP presentation in the Lory Student Center on Monday as part of Asian Fest.

Decades after Asian Americans were persecuted and entire families were imprisoned in internment camps during World War II, one woman said Monday the treatment of her people has not changed much.

Asian stereotypes and prejudices are still pervasive in today's culture, according to fourth-generation Japanese-American cultural intelligence trainer and former Editor in Chief of Asian Avenue Magazine Erin Yoshimura, an issue she said is exasperated by the media.

"(Asian Americans) are still regarded as foreigners no matter how long we've been in this country," Yoshimura said during an event, "Tea Time," hosted by several student organizations as part of the Asian/Pacific American Student Services' Asian Fest.

"If you think we've come a long way … think again," Yoshimura said.

As a child, she said was teased because of her race, called derogatory names such as "gook" and "Jap" and had rocks thrown at her.

She said she did not learn anything about the contributions of her people to America in school, but only that she was the "enemy" and that they bombed Pearl Harbor.

"Even up to my mid 30s, I lived almost like an apology," she said. She traces this shame back to the internment of her paternal and maternal grandparents during World War II.

She said her grandparents were among the 120,000 Japanese citizens who were incarcerated from 1942 to 1945 because of the nation's fear that they were spies and disloyal to America. Two-thirds were American-born and half were children, Yoshimura said.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools