Glossary:

 

Ally: A person or group that supports and helps another person, group, or country.

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"Assembly Centers": The WAr Roocation Authority's euphemism emporary places with poor living conditions where Japanese Americans were held before being moved to internment camps during World War II.

Assimilation: The process of becoming part of a different culture by adopting its customs and ways, often while abandoning your own.

Birthright Citizenship: The right to be a citizen of a country because you were born there. The USA guarantees all persons born in the US are citizens in amendment 14.

Citizenship: Being a legal member of a country with rights and responsibilities.

Civil Rights: The rights all people have to be treated equally under the law, no matter their race, religion, or background.

Co-Conspirator: Coined by Dr. Bettina Love, a co-conspirator is someone who is compelled to take action against racism and oppression regardless of the consequences. A co-conspirator is unapologetically anti-racist and committed to dismantling the system of White supremacy culture and the benefits they receive from it (National Education Association).

Dehumanization: Treating people as if they are not human and depriving them of human qualities, personality, or dignity,  often to justify unfair treatment or violence.

Detention Camps: Places where people are held against their will, often without a trial, usually during war or times of crisis.

Displacement: Being forced to leave your home or country, often because of war or natural disaster.

Enemy Alien: A person from a country that is at war with the country they are currently living in, often seen as a threat.

Evacuation: The act of moving people away from one area to another;  usually to avoid danger

Executive Order 9066: A rule signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 that allowed the U.S. government to force Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II, despite their Constitutional rights

Forced Migration: When people are made to move from their homes against their will. Often due to natural disaster, war, or persecution.

Issei: Japanese word for first generation - refers to Japanese immigrants

Imprisonment: Being put in prison for a length of time

Incarceration: Another word for being put in jail or prison.

Internment: The act of putting people, usually large groups of people, in prison or other kinds of detention during wartime without a trial or any formal charges, because they are citizens of the opposing country.

• Note: Since American-born children of Japanese immigrants had birthright citizenship. they were not legally interned, they were illegally imprisoned/incarcerated without due process of the law.

Internment Camps: Places where Japanese Americans were forced to live during World War II, in harsh and crowded conditions.

Japanese American: both citizens and non-citizens of Japanese ancestry living in the United States

Loyalty: Being faithful and supportive to someone or something, like your family, friends, or country.

Nationalism: A strong pride in your country, often to the point of thinking it’s better than others.

Naturalized: Becoming a citizen of a country after being born in another country. In the US, this is a process you must apply for.

Nisei: Japanese word for second generation - refers to the children of Japanese immigrants who are American citizens by birthright

Propaganda: Information spread to influence what people think by promoting a particular idea, political agenda, or plan. Often one-sided, exaggerated or not completely true.

Racism: unfair treatment of people based on a social construct that categorizes people by their phenotypes (how they look) and assigns traits to particular races, historically favoring whiteness. Connected to the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another (usually whites).

Redress Bill: Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which granted Japanese Americans reparations for incarceration during WWII and included a formal apology to the Japanese American community.

Relocation: Moving to a new place, often because of rules or force.

Reparations: Money or help given to people who have been treated unfairly, as a way to make up for it.

Resistance: Standing up against something that is unfair or wrong.

Sansei: Japanese word for third generation - refers to the grandchildren of Japanese immigrants

Xenophobia: Fear or hatred of people from other countries or culture