Changing Hawaii

By Diane Yukihiro Chang

Monday, April 21, 1997

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Learning from the
strife of the Japanese

ON Saturday afternoon, three esteemed men of Japanese ancestry shared their personal stories of struggle and success during an informal panel discussion at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii. Each is a trail-blazer as a Japanese American:

Former Hawaii Gov. George R. Ariyoshi, the first to become a U.S. governor.

Norman Y. Mineta, the first to serve as a mayor of a major American city and the first to be elected to Congress on the mainland.

George "Mr. Sulu" Takei, first to have a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, have his handprints and footprints immortalized at Mann's Chinese Theater in L.A., and first Asian in outer space -- on the U.S.S. Enterprise of "Star Trek" fame.

The three speakers were spotlighted by the Japanese American National Museum, which is developing a major 4,000-square-foot traveling exhibit called "Plate Lunch Hawaii: Americans of Japanese Ancestry in Transition," scheduled to premiere at the Bishop Museum in October before moving on to other national and international sites.

As a sansei, I went to the presentation to learn more about appreciating one's heritage. But note how these speakers' words can be applied to another hot-button issue much in the news:

Mineta: "The struggle for equality is not over and has far to go ... Despite challenges, we have succeeded. Even during evacuation and internment, we did not give up hope and did not give up on this country ...When we were threatened, very few elected officials would stand up for us."

Takei: "The Japanese-American community (in this country) is richly diverse...What we share in common is a connection with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Battalion. We know it is because of them that we enjoy what we do today. It's that special glow of pride...The pluralism on the U.S.S. Enterprise was a metaphor for planet Earth."

Ariyoshi: "Those who were in the (internment) camps need to say what happened and have it recorded in the museum, so future generations will know... It's easy to be a principled person when everything works in your favor; it's harder when it is unpopular."

What do these statements bring to mind: the struggle of a minority in a world dominated by an unsympathetic majority; the need to appreciate diversity in a large population base; a seemingly daunting, impossible task -- with little political support -- being undertaken by a small but determined group?

Yes, these ideals represent what many Japanese Americans went through during World War II, when close to 90 percent of public opinion believed they should be herded into camps surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. But these statements also can relate to the current battle over marital rights for same-gender couples, a concept disapproved of by at least 70 percent of island residents.

LAST week's legislative decision supporting the inclusion of a proposed constitutional amendment on the next ballot to preserve marriage between one man and one woman may be an initial disappointment for civil-rights advocates and gay lobbyists.

But much can be learned from the plight and eventual vindication of Japanese Americans in U.S. history. Among these lessons are gaman or quiet endurance, gisei or sacrifice, and perhaps most relevant for now, shikata ga nai or acceptance of current circumstances.

History has a long memory. But it also has a powerful potential for surprise.