Minoru Yasui: A Japanese American Hero Written by: Gil Asakawa Illustrated by: Nikky Soh Teacher Guide by: Tim Smyth
Discussion Questions Elementary *Do you think people can be treated unfairly because of their race in America? *Can you think of a time in American history when certain races were treated unfairly? *What would you think if the American government placed a group of American citizens in jail because of their race?
MS/HS *Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor? *What is a concentration camp? Have they ever been built in the United States? *Do you think American citizens could be forced from their homes and placed under armed guards because of their ethnicity? *How would you react if American citizens were rounded up and placed in jail because of their ethnicity? *What is cruel and unusual punishment? What might it look like in jail? (tie into panel 1.4). *Following the reading of this comic and class research, ask – do you think this could happen in the United States today? Under what circumstances? (The movie trailer for 1998’s The Siege may help make connections as Muslim Americans were rounded up and placed in camps following a terrorist attack - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzLQOc-B0Ys) *Why do you think Japanese American citizens were placed in camps and not German or Italian Americans? (Teacher tip – think geography of West Coast USA and racism). *What connections can you make between this comic and the Jewish Holocaust? *What would you do if your family were forced to move into these camps due to your ethnicity? How would you feel? What would you do if you saw American citizens of an ethnicity different than yours being detained and placed in camps? *President Reagan gave the surviving internees $20,000 each as an apology – what is your opinion of this gesture? *Should Native Americans and descendants of slaves be offered reparations? If so, How much? Explain.
Comic Analysis *Panel 1.1 – What can you tell about the technology and strategies used in WWII from this panel? *Panel 1.2 – How does Minoru Yasui feel about FDR’s Order 9066? Use both text and visual evidence in your answer. Panel 1.2 – why do you think the illustrator chose not to show the face of the police officer? Panel 1.2 – how does the police officer’s dialogue demonstrate his feelings towards Yasui? Panel 1.3 – Describe the feelings of those in the courtroom.
Panel 1.4 – What are the visual tools the illustrator uses to evoke Yasui’s feelings? Does the punishment fit the crime? Panel 1.5 – What connections can be made between the Supreme Court building and Ancient Greece? How did the Supreme Court rule on the case? Panel 2.1 – Describe the Minidoka Internment Camp. How would you feel living there? Can you make a connection to other events happening in Europe at this time? Panel 2.2 – This is a turning point in Yasui’s life – describe the feelings shown on his face. Why did you think he sometimes took food or chickens as payment from Japanese Americans? Panels 2.3 and 2.4 – How do the text and illustration support one another? (Teacher tip – Yasui is helping minority communities in general – the diversity in the group shows he is helping those outside of the Japanese American community). Panel 2.4 – why/how do you think Min was able to stop rioting in Denver after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated? Panel 2.5 – How do the protest signs help the reader understand their grievances? Panel 3.1 – How does the reader know that significant time has passed? Panel 3.2 – Discuss Min’s quote – what does it mean? Make connections to contemporary events. Why do you think the illustrator decided to draw Min’s office in this manner? What does it tell us about him? Panel 3.3 – Who bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Panel 3.4 – What do you think the words on Min’s bust should be?
Lesson Ideas by Content Area Social Studies *At the same time Japanese Americans were being discriminated against, so too were African Americans. Research and compare the treatment of both groups and the successes they shared during WWII (Tuskegee Airmen, 761st Tank Battalion, etc.). This could also develop into a much deeper research project looking into how African-American soldiers were treated in the American Revolution and Civil War. *Have students research US publications on how to “Spot a Jap” and discuss their reactions. http://www.ep.tc/howtospotajap/howto01.html *Students can listen to the song by Fort Minor and then create their own video integrating their choices of historical photographs of the Japanese American camps. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BJjo0BCbGo) *Have students research the camps – what was daily life like, where were they located, how were they constructed? Etc. *Have students research the struggles of Fred Korematsu and compare to the court cases of Yasui. (http://www.korematsuinstitute.org/fred-t-korematsu-lifetime/) *Students can research how the Supreme Court functions and rules on important cases. They can then research important and/or controversial court rulings and compare them to Yasui and Korematsu. (Examples – Brown v. Board of Ed, Roe v. Wade, Miranda v. Arizona, Dred Scott v. Sanford, etc.) *Students can research Habeas Corpus and its importance in protecting American citizens. They can then also read the Suspension Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 9, Clause 2) “The Privileges of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion, the public Safety may require it.” Have the students discuss/debate the meaning of this and events that would allow Habeas Corpus to be suspended. As a third part of the research, have students research if Habeas
Corpus has even been suspended (Lincoln and the US Civil War). Students can then discuss the connections to Roosevelt’s Order 9066 and its legality. *Research can be conducted on the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Who else has won the award? This resource from NPR.org gives a listing of all the award winners in 2015, the same year Yasui was awarded his posthumously. Students can watch short videos of each recipient – including Yasui. What are the merits of each winner? Are all of the same level as Yasui? Who would you choose as Presidential Medal of Freedom winners in 2018 if you were president? (https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo- way/2015/11/23/456832743/here-are-the-2015-medal-of-freedom-winners-in-their-own-voices) *Students can read the ruling of the Supreme Court and discuss the merits of the decision - (https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/320/115) *Have students research the Minoru Yasui Community Award process and winners, then decide who they would nominate for this award from their school or community. (http://www.denverfoundation.org/Community/Impact-Areas/Community-Leadership-Awards/Minoru-Yasui- Community-Volunteer-Award)
English Language Arts * Annotate Langston Hughes “Beaumont to Detroit: 1943” poem as a point of comparison of how Japanese Americans and African Americans were treated.
Art *Have students make their own protest signs as in panel 2.5. Their signs could be from this time-period or any other – use to compare to other civil rights violations. *Have students analyze Dr. Seuss cartoons of the time-period and discuss the use of stereotypes to demonize the Japanese. (Collection of Seuss drawings from WWII - https://library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dswenttowar/). Students can then redraw these images to reflect a more positive and inclusive message. *Students can create their own comic books using a fantastic resource from the Smithsonian that uses only one piece of paper! Perhaps their comics could tell the story that takes place between panels or after the end of the comic. ( https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/file- uploader/Incarceration- through-Comics-and-Graphic-Novels.pdf) *Analyze the bust of Yasui located in Denver, CO, then students can design their own version (http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMFP0R_Bust_of_Minoru_Yasui_Denver_CO)
Film/TV Lab *Students can research videos/cartoons made during WWII, such as Walt Disney’s Der Fuehrer’s Face (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn20oXFrxxg). They can then report on the role of the TV and film industry in spreading propaganda and stereotypes.
Resources *http://www.denverfoundation.org/Community/Impact-Areas/Community-Leadership-Awards/Minoru-Yasui- Community-Volunteer-Award – information on the Yasui Award and application to nominate those in the community. *https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/320/115 – Supreme Court ruling on Yasui’s case.
*https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/23/456832743/here-are-the-2015-medal-of-freedom- winners-in-their-own-voices – NPR source giving short videos of all the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom winners. *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeBKBFAPwNc – an amazing Ted Talk by George Takei on his experiences as an internee and the experiences of Japanese-Americans fighting in WWII. *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BJjo0BCbGo – Kenji by Fort Minor. Students could make their own video of this song using their own selected pictures/drawings. *https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/file-uploader/Incarceration-through-Comics-and-Graphic- Novels.pdf – online Smithsonian lesson plan with several one-page comics about these events. There is also a blank template that students can use to create their own one-page comic! There are also several other comics that deal with this time-period as well. *http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=36240 – Ronald Reagan’s speech apologizing to the Internees *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzLQOc-B0Ys – movie trailer for 1998’s The Siege when Muslim- Americans are placed into internment camps. *https://fdrlibrary.org/images-of-internment – exhibit at the FDR house during the summer of 2017. A certain sense of irony in the home of the man who signed the order creating the internment camps. *http://www.korematsuinstitute.org/fred-t-korematsu-lifetime/ - an amazing FREE resource for teachers – send in an email and receive lesson plans, posters, and a graphic novel. The graphic novel begins with events of 9/11 and the fears of Muslim Americans, then backtracks to the events of WWII. *http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMFP0R_Bust_of_Minoru_Yasui_Denver_CO – a solid and brief biography of Minoru Yasui, including detailed information on his bust in Denver.
Colorful History Presents: Minoru Yasui: A Japanese American Hero Story by Gil Askawa Art by Nicky Soh Special Thanks to … (TBD)
Panel #1
Image: Pearl Harbor being bombed (Large panel… should take up 1/3 of top of page)
CAP: After Pearl Harbor was bombed and war with Japan began on Dec. 7, 1941, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 allowing the military to designate areas that would be off-limits to anyone of Japanese ancestry.
CAP: Soon after, 120,000 people of Japanese descent – more than half who were U.S. citizens by birth – were forced from their homes along the West Coast and sent to concentration camps. The U.S. government claimed they might be spies for Japan – even young children.
TITLE: Colorful History Presents: Miniru Yasui: A Japanese American hero
CREDITS: Story by Gil Askawa
Art by Nicky Soh
Special Thanks to … (TBD)
Panel #2
Image: Young Minoru Yasui
YOUNG MIN: “Arrest me, officer – I’m a person of Japanese ancestry!”
COP: “Just run home or you’re going to get yourself into trouble.”
CAP: Minoru Yasui, a Japanese American attorney in Portland, Oregon, believed these orders were unconstitutional and discriminatory. He challenged the government-ordered curfew order by marching up to police officers demanding to be arrested. Eventually, they did.
Panel #3: Collage of four images: Min in District Court defending his case (3a), Min in a solitary confinement jail (3b), at the Supreme Court (3c), and with his family (or generic JA family) in a camp barrack (3d).
Panel #3a
Image: Min in District Court defending his case CAP: The case “Yasui v. United States of America” was tried in June 1942. Min was found guilty of breaking the curfew.
Panel #3b
Image: Min in solitary confinement in a cramped cell
CAP: He spent nine months in solitary confinement – he wasn’t even allowed to take a shower!
Panel #3c
Image: A generic image of the Supreme Court building CAP: He appealed his case all the way up to the US Supreme Court, which found that the curfew, evacuation and incarceration of Japanese American families during the war was legal.
Panel #3d
Image: JA family in a camp. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mpimages/mp8320.jpg <-- photo of Miniodoka http://encyclopedia.densho.org/front/media/cache/92/fc/92fce245999cf0624d5b31a7c70479ff.jpg <-- photo of Minidoka
CAP: Min Yasui spent the rest of WWII at Minidoka, a camp in Idaho, with his family.
Panel #4
Image: Min’s profile or face overlaid on Denver skyline circa 1946. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Denver#/media/File:6601-DowntownDenver-E-SE.jpg
CAP: Denver, 1946
MIN: “I’ll practice law in Denver and help people!”
CAP: After the war, Min Yasui reunited with his family in Denver, where he set up a law practice to help Japanese Americans resettle and restart their lives. At times, he took things like food or chickens as pay for his services.
Panel #5
Image: Min In a group shot with a group of community members
CAP: Min Yasui was passionate about civil rights. He served as Executive Director on the Denver Commission on Community Relations, founded organizations serving minority communities, and volunteered throughout his life.
Panel #6
Image: Image of Min speaking to a group of black citizens at a community meeting CAP: Min built such strong relationships with minority organizations that he was even able to help prevent widespread rioting in Denver following the assassination of Martin Lutcher King in 1968.
Panel #7
Image: Min leading a group of protestors: http://www.sedai.ca/wordpress/wp- content/uploads/2012/06/3B-Redress-Rally-474x342.jpg
CAP: Through all this, Min Yasui never stopped fighting for justice. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was a leader in the national redress movement, seeking an apology from the U.S. government for what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII.
Panel #8
Image: February 1983. Peggy Nagae, Min Yasui’s lead attorney, files the writ of Coram Nobis at the U.S. District Courthouse in Portland, Oregon (where Min’s original trial took place in 1942). http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-11-16-1447704490-3578531-peggy_min_coramnobis.jpg http://encyclopedia.densho.org/front/media/cache/7b/b5/7bb546b5637d0a19a1ba4ab61c7bfe50.jpg
CAP: Then, in the early 1980s, his attorney filed a motion to reopen the case and take it once again to the Portland District Court. His original conviction was overturned, but the court didn’t rule on his other claims.
Panel #9
Image: Later years Minoru Yasui portrait; here’s a famous photo of his office: https://media.wnyc.org/i/800/0/c/99/1/GettyImages-162059966.jpg
OLDER MIN: “My contention obviously was that if you begin to erode the liberties and freedom and the rights of the individual, then you are indeed jeopardizing the safety of our whole nation.”
CAP: Min died in 1986, and the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal after his death. He also died before President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which included an official apology for incarceration and cash payments for survivors.
Panel #10
Image: Min’s daughter and documentary filmmaker Holly Yasui accepting the Medal of Freedom from President Obama http://www.rafu.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/laurie-yasui-president-obama-cropped.jpg CAP: In Denver, Min Yasui’s legacy is symbolized with a bust at Sakura Square in downtown. His passion for community organizations has continued with the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Awards.
CAP: And in 2015, Minoru Yasui was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Panel #11
Image: Min Yasui bust at Sakura Square http://portlandtribune.com/images/artimg/00003531143095.jpg
CAP: Today, Min Yasui is remembered across the world as one of four Japanese Americans who fought the imprisonment of people of Japanese ancestry just because of their race. He left a legacy of fighting injustice no matter whom the victims were.
Additional Resources: Great TV news documentary (7 mins): https://youtu.be/NCSuS4xF25c