Talk on Nisei Vets’ Impact on Redress

Go For Broke National Education Center will present “Restoring America’s Promise: The Impact of Nisei Veterans in the Fight for Redress” on Saturday, April 1, at 2 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum’s Tateuchi Democracy Center, First and Central in Little Tokyo (next door to GFBNEC’s “Defining Courage” exhibition).

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, granting an apology and financial reparations on behalf of the United States for the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. This official apology serves as a platform for current-day discussions of potential mass incarcerations of other groups.

The redress bill in the House was HR 442, named for the Nisei soldiers who served in Europe with the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most highly decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. military history. The passage of the Civil Liberties Act would not have been possible without the courage and integrity demonstrated by the Nisei veterans, who chose to protect America at a time when America chose not to protect them.

Mitchell Maki, president of GFBNEC and author of “Achieving the Impossible Dream: How Japanese American Obtained Redress,” will discuss the Nisei veterans’ contribution to redress. A Q&A will follow the program.

For more information about this and other events, call (310) 328-0907 or visit www.goforbroke.org.