- Gordon Hirabayashi
-
Gordon Hirabayashi 
Gordon Hirabayashi in 1986Born April 23, 1918
Seattle, Washington, USANationality American Ethnicity Japanese Alma mater University of Washington Occupation Sociologist Known for Hirabayashi v. United States Religion Christianity Denomination Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi (born April 23, 1918) is an American sociologist (now retired), best known for his principled resistance to the Japanese American internment during World War II, and the court case which bears his name, Hirabayashi v. United States.
Contents
Biography
Hirabayashi was born in Seattle to a Christian family who were associated with the Mukyōkai Christian Movement. He graduated from Auburn High School in Auburn, Washington, and in 1937 went to the University of Washington, where he received his degree. At the University he participated in the YMCA and became a religious pacifist.
Although he at first considered accepting internment, he ultimately became one of three to openly defy it. He joined the Quaker-run American Friends Service Committee. In 1942 he turned himself in to the FBI, and after being convicted for curfew violation was sentenced to 90 days in prison. He did this in part to appeal the verdict all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court with the backing of the ACLU. However the court unanimously ruled against him in Hirabayashi v. United States in 1943. Curiously they would not pay for him being sent to prison so he hitchhiked to the Arizona prison where he was sentenced to reside. Once there they stated they lacked the sufficient papers as he was two weeks late. They considered letting him just go home, but he feared this would look suspicious. After that they made the suggestion he could go out for dinner and a movie which would give them time to find his papers. He agreed to this and, by the time he finished doing so, they had found the relevant paperwork.[1]
Post-war career
After the war, he went on to earn B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from the University of Washington. He taught in Beirut, Lebanon and Cairo, Egypt, before settling at the University of Alberta in Canada in 1959, where he served as chair of the sociology department from 1970 until his retirement in 1983.[2] As a sociologist he did studies of Jordan and the Russian Doukhobors in British Columbia, Egyptian village political awareness, Jordanian social change, and Asian-Americans. He has been an active member of Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Since retirement he has been active in behalf of human rights.
Conviction overturned
Soon after retiring, Hirabayashi received a call that would prove consequential. Peter Irons, a political science professor from the University of California, San Diego, had uncovered documents that clearly showed evidence of government misconduct in 1942—evidence that the government knew there was no military reason for the exclusion order but withheld that information from the Supreme Court. With this new information, Hirabayashi’s case was reheard by the federal courts, and in 1987 his conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[3]
“It was quite a strong victory—so strong that the other side did not appeal,” says Hirabayashi. “It was a vindication of all the effort people had put in for the rights of citizens during crisis periods.”
“There was a time when I felt that the Constitution failed me,” he explains. “But with the reversal in the courts and in public statements from the government, I feel that our country has proven that the Constitution is worth upholding. The U.S. government admitted it made a mistake. A country that can do that is a strong country. I have more faith and allegiance to the Constitution than I ever had before.” [A&S Perspectives, Winter 2000, University of Washington]
"I would also say that if you believe in something, if you think the Constitution is a good one, and if you think the Constitution protects you, you better make sure that the Constitution is actively operating... and uh, in other words "constant vigilance". Otherwise, it's a scrap of paper. We had the Constitution to protect us in 1942. It didn't because the will of the people weren't behind it."
(Gordon Hirabayashi Interview, Copyright 2001 Smithsonian Institution)
On May 24, 2011, U.S. Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal delivered the keynote speech at the Department of Justice's Great Hall marking Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Developing comments he had posted officially on May 20,[4] Katyal issued the Justice Department's first public confession of its 1942 ethics lapse. He cited the Hirabayashi and Korematsu cases as blots on the reputation of the Office of the Solicitor General as meriting "special credence" when pleading cases before the Supreme Court, and "an important reminder" of the need for absolute candor in arguing the United States government's position on every case.[5]
Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site
In 1999, the Coronado National Forest in Arizona renamed the former Catalina Honor Camp in Hirabayashi's honor. The site, ten miles east of Tucson, where Hirabayashi had served out his sentence of hard labor in 1942, is now known as the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site.[6]
Stage play
In 2007, the Asian American theatre company East West Players gave the world premiere of a stage play based on Hirabayashi's true life story. The play was a one-man show and was titled Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi. East West Players described the play as follows: "During WWII in Seattle, University of Washington student Gordon Hirabayashi agonizes over U.S. government orders to forcibly remove and imprison all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. As he fights to reconcile his country's betrayal with his Constitutional beliefs, Gordon journeys toward a greater understanding of America's triumphs and failures."[7]
Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi was written by Jeanne Sakata, directed by Jessica Kubzansky, and starred actor Ryun Yu as Gordon Hirabayashi and multiple other roles. Performances were held at the East West Player's David Henry Hwang Theatre in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, California. Previews were November 1–4, 2007.[7] Opening night was on November 7, 2007 and the play closed on December 2, 2007.[8] The Los Angeles Times gave it a mixed review: "Ryun Yu plays Hirabayashi... but even his fine-grained tour de force doesn't negate the suspicion that another structure, another style might make this material more exciting."[9]
In 2008, playwright Jeanne Sakata adapted her full-length stage play into a shorter theatre-for-youth production, which would tour the schools. Whereas the original one-man show ran approximately 90 minutes, this new abridged version, aimed at students, was about half as long, coming in at about 45 minutes. The tour was produced by East West Players' Theatre For Youth program, directed again by Jessica Kubzansky, and starred actor Martin Yu,[10] who had been the understudy in the original 2007 full-length production.[7]
In 2010, East West Players' Theatre For Youth program produced another tour of Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi. There were a few revisions to the script, but the play remained approximately 45 minutes. However there was a new director and cast, not connected to previous productions. It was directed by Leslie Ishii and starred actor Blake Kushi.[11] This marked the first time a Japanese-American director as well as a Japanese-American actor were used. The show was well-received as indicated by the following review: "Kushi gave a one-man, tour-de-force performance that floored the audience..."[12]
Southern California Edison was the major sponsor of this tour of Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi. The tour ran from February 12 to March 31, 2010. Shows were performed at elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools (and one city college[13]) and also at community centers, churches, and public libraries. There were 35 performances in total. The tour visited the following California cities: Alhambra, Baldwin Park, East Rancho Dominguez, Fullerton, Gardena, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Monterey Park, North Hollywood, Norwalk, Pasadena, Redlands, Reseda, San Bernardino, San Fernando, Van Nuys, and West Covina.
In 2011, Ryun Yu reprised his performance of Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi, but this time in Chicago, Illinois.[14] Silk Road Theatre Project, in association with the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Chicago and Millennium Park, presented the one-man show at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.[15] There were three performances total on January 13–15, 2011. The production was directed by Jessica Kubzansky and produced by Jerry O'Boyle.[15]
Honorary Degree
In 2008, the University of Washington awarded Hirabayashi and four hundred former students of Japanese ancestry who were evacuated from the school honorary degrees called "Nunc Pro Tunc" (Now For Then). Although Hirabayashi did not attend the ceremony, when his name was called he received the loudest and longest ovation from the audience.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "45 Years Later, an Apology from the U.S. Government" Newsletter of the University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences, Winter 2000
- ^ HistoryLink essay
- ^ Hirabayashi v. United States, 828 F.2d 591 [1] (retrieved May 24, 2011)
- ^ from "The Justice Blog" on the U.S. Department of Justice website (retrieved May 24, 2011) "Confession of Error: The Solicitor General’s Mistakes During the Japanese-American Internment Cases"
- ^ Savage, David G. (May 24, 2011), "U.S. official cites misconduct in Japanese American internment cases", The Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-japanese-americans-20110525,0,3517138.story
- ^ "Department of Justice and U.S. Army Facilities" from the National Park Service website (retrieved December 9, 2007)
- ^ a b c "Dawn's Light - 42nd Season". East West Players. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ "Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi Tickets, Discount Tickets and Information - Los Angeles - Open Date: 11/07/2007". Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ Segal, Lewis. "One man's losing battle against racism: 'Dawn's Light' addresses racism in times of war, but current events undercut its impact", Los Angeles Times, 9 November 2007. Retrieved on 11 November 2010.
- ^ Ikemi, Douglas. "The APPA Newsletter" (PDF), page 7. Hughes Asian Pacific Professional Association, Los Angeles, 5 March 2008. Retrieved on 30 April 2010.
- ^ "Theatre For Youth Tour". East West Players. Retrieved on 30 June 2010.
- ^ Sum, Catherine. "'Dawn's Light' illuminates rapt audience", PCC Courier, Pasadena, 1 April 2010. Retrieved on 30 April 2010.
- ^ Gutierrez, Juan F. "News: Pasadena City College Presents 'Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi'", Pasadena City College, 25 March 2010. Retrieved on 30 April 2010.
- ^ "Silk Road stages citizen’s own World War II battle in 'Dawn's Light'", "Chicago Sun-Times", Chicago, 7 January 2011. Retrieved on 5 February 2011.
- ^ a b Silk Road Theatre Project | Dawn's Light. Silk Road Theatre Project. Retrieved on 5 February 2011.
External links
- History Link
- University of Washington essay
- On the court case
- Short biography (pdf)
- Sociology papers
- Segal, Lewis. "THEATER REVIEW: One man's losing battle against racism: 'Dawn's Light' addresses racism in times of war, but current events undercut its impact", Los Angeles Times, 9 November 2007. Retrieved on 30 April 2010.
- Chung, Philip W. "Gordon Hirabayashi’s Story Sees the Light of Dawn", AsianWeek, San Francisco, 3 November 2007. Retrieved on 30 April 2010.
Categories:- 1918 births
- Living people
- American activists
- American human rights activists
- American sociologists
- Canadian Quakers
- Japanese-American civil rights activists
- Japanese-American internees
- American people of Japanese descent
- University of Washington alumni
- University of Alberta faculty
- American Quakers
- People from Seattle, Washington
- American Christian pacifists
- People from Auburn, Washington
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
