Book Release, the Review, and an Excerpt
"'Not Outsiders' is a unique book that is sure to inform, inspire, and challenge its readers." -- Andrew P.
Released! I am excited to announce that my 5th book, “Not Outsiders: Asian Americans’ political activism from the 19th century to today,” is officially released today in paperback and Kindle. You can purchase it on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Remember, if you are a paid subscriber, you are eligible for a free book in Kindle (Please email me to confirm it).
If you want to know whether this book is worth your time, below is a quote from the first book review:
"Not Outsiders" is a unique book that is sure to inform, inspire, and challenge its readers. Throughout the book, Ms. Raleigh effectively dispels the myth of Asian Americans being a monolithic, “white-adjacent,” model-minority group by detailing the historical and contemporary injustices that they have faced, coupled with their prominent role in several waves of the civil rights movement. "Not Outsiders" is at once a fascinating history of Asian American immigrants standing up and fighting for their right to achieve the American Dream, as well as a timely discussion of their increasing political power in the culture wars of today. The author’s impressive historical knowledge and command of contemporary political and legal controversies makes "Not Outsiders" an engaging read for those interested in both Asian American history, as well as contemporary political issues facing the community and the country as a whole. Ms. Raleigh’s commendable book is a must-read for those seeking a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of Asian Americans as a vital part of our shared American heritage.
You can read the rest of the review by Andrew P. here.
An Book Excerpt: The Quiet Woman Who Ended the Internment Camps for Japanese Americans
Since today is my daughter Allie’s birthday, I would like to share an excerpt from the book about a quiet but courageous American woman.
After the Japanese Navy attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1949, U.S. President Roosevelt issued his notorious Executive Order 9066 a few months later, authorizing the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, and assigned military commanders to remove persons of Japanese ancestry, both American citizens and legal residents, from the West Coast.
It is worth noting that some historians believe Roosevelt’s EO was heavily influenced by Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt’s recommendation. As the commanding general of the Western Defense Command, General DeWitt held significant sway over West Coast security, particularly in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. His influence, combined with the prevailing anti-Japanese sentiment, likely played a crucial role in shaping Roosevelt’s decision. DeWitt justified his rationale for the removal of persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast this way:
In the war in which we are now engaged racial affinities are not severed by migration. The Japanese race is an enemy race and while many second and third generation Japanese born on United State soil, possessed of United States citizenship, have become “Americanized,” the racial strains are undiluted… That Japan is allied with Germany and Italy in this struggle is not ground for assuming that any Japanese, barred from assimilation by convention as he is, though born and raised in the United States, will not turn against this nation when the final test of loyalty comes. It, therefore, follows that along the vital Pacific Coast over 112,000 potential enemies, of Japanese extraction, are at large today. There are indications that these were organized and ready for concerted action at a favorable opportunity. The very fact that no sabotage has taken place to date is a disturbing and confirming indication that such action will be taken [emphasis added].
I always find the last sentence full of irony: the fact that Japanese Americans committed no sabotage before or after the Pearl Harbor attack should have convinced people like General DeWitt not to treat Japanese Americans as an enemy race. Instead, General DeWitt was disturbed by the peace and was even more convinced that Japanese Americans must be removed. Still, ultimately, the buck stopped at President Roosevelt. He was the one who signed the EO to forcefully remove Japanese Americans from their homes.
More than 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry were ordered to leave their businesses, employment, schools, and homes…the U.S. government sent them to temporarily built concentration camps in remote areas in Mountain West states including Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming.
A few courageous Japanese Americans, all U.S. citizens through birthright citizenship, challenged the constitutionality of President Roosevelt’s EO soon after it went into effect. Four of their cases reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and one of them was filed by Mitsuye Endo.
Mitsuye Endo, a 22-year-old state employee from Sacramento, California, found her life turned upside down after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The California State Personnel Board, in a move that would later be deemed unjust, laid off all Japanese American state employees, including Endo. The personal impact of this decision was profound, as Endo later described: “We were given a piece of paper saying we were suspended because we were of Japanese ancestry.” This personal tragedy was echoed in the stories of several dozens of fired Japanese American employees, including Endo, who sought to challenge their firing with the assistance of the JACL and retained James C. Purcell as their attorney. Meanwhile, Endo and her family followed the evacuation order and were first sent to the Sacramento Assembly Center and later to the concentration camp in Tule Lake, California.
Besides the employment case, Purcell planned to file a habeas corpus petition to challenge the U.S. government’s order and needed a suitable plaintiff. He reached out to Endo because her family background looked appealing to mainstream American society: Endo was a Christian with one brother in the U.S. Army, and she had never been to Japan. Endo initially hesitated because she was a very private person. She told an interviewer years later that she only agreed to do it because she was told it was for the good of everybody.
Purcell filed the petition on July 12, 1942. By the time the case ended up at the U.S. Supreme Court, Endo had been sent to the concentration camp in Topaz, Utah. One of her fellow campmates was Fred Korematsu (his lawsuit against the EO also reached the U.S. Supreme Court). The U.S. government offered to release Endo and Korematsu early in light of their pending Supreme Court cases. Korematsu accepted the offer, but Endo refused because Purcell advised that remaining in the camp would increase the likelihood of a favorable ruling. Endo’s refusal to accept the offer, despite the hardships she faced, made her a symbol of hope and resilience.
On December 18, 1944, the Supreme Court issued two rulings. It denied Fred Korematsu’s petition by 6–3. But the justices ruled in Endo’s favor unanimously. On behalf of the entire Court, Justice William O. Douglas wrote:
We are of the view that Mitsuye Endo should be given her liberty. In reaching that conclusion we do not come to the underlying constitutional issues which have been argued. For we conclude that, whatever power the War Relocation Authority may have to detain other classes of citizens, it has no authority to subject citizens who are concededly loyal to its leave procedure.
The day before the ruling, the U.S. government was tipped off that Endo’s case would likely prevail. The War Relocation Authority took preemptive action by announcing before the court’s ruling that all incarcerated Japanese Americans were to be released from the camps starting in January 1945. Of the four Japanese Americans’ cases challenging the forced evacuation order, only Endo’s was successful. She was often called the quiet lady who ended the internment camps.
After her release from the camp, Endo moved to Chicago and stayed out of the public eye after the war. She rarely discussed her landmark lawsuit and only accepted one interview. Even her daughter didn’t know what Endo had accomplished until the interview, a fact that adds a layer of intrigue to her story…
In 1971, the efforts of a group of Japanese American lawyers’ Redress Movement led to the repeal of Title II of the Internal Security Act of 1950, which authorized the mass detention of suspected subversives without trial. In 1976, President Gerald Ford, formally terminating President Franklin Roosevelt’s notorious Executive Order 9066 and apologizing for the internment, stated:
We now know what we should have known then—not only was that evacuation wrong but Japanese-Americans were and are loyal Americans. On the battlefield and at home the names of Japanese-Americans have been and continue to be written in history for the sacrifices and the contributions they have made to the well-being and to the security of this, our common Nation.
