S T O R I E S  T H A T  M U S T  B E  T O L D 

Keeping memories of the internment alive empowers Japanese and non-Japanese Americans and grants them the responsibility to speak out when other groups are unfairly targeted because of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or other identity. The case of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is one such event in which lessons learned from the World War II internment were applied/should have been applied more extensively. In the aftermath of the attacks, the U.S. Government implemented certain programs with the goal of “curbing and countering terrorism”. Although it was not explicitly stated, these policies, such as the USA Patriot Act, National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, or Special Registration program, were targeted towards and thus disproportionately affected Arabs, South Asians and Muslims in America (Rubin 10-12). Similar to the anti-Japanese propaganda following the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was an increased sense of threat held by many Americans, forming the basis for subtle, pervasive racism. The environment surrounding Americans of certain backgrounds, predominantly Middle Eastern, became hostile due to misdirected blame and fear- a direct parallel to the environment post-Pearl Harbor. Survivors of the internment who worked for the government, such as Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation at the time, advised against racial profiling as a response to the 9/11 attacks based on their experiences during WWII (Densho Digital Repository). Their understanding of the rhetoric that led to the incarceration of 120,000 innocent Japanese Americans enabled them to influence (or attempt to influence) an alternative route in response to 9/11.