Discussion questions
Do monetary reparations make up for the U.S.’s incarceration of Japanese Americans? How do financial payments symbolize, account for, or reckon with the concept of federal apology? Does the amount equal the harm done? How do you understand putting a specific numerical amount for unlawful detainment?
What did the government mean to communicate through these payments? How would you have interpreted them if you were a descendant of someone who had been deported and detained?
What do you think of the reasons for the demand for reparations of Japanese Americans of Latin American descent?
How does monetary (or financial) compensation compare to formal federal apology? Do you feel that one or the other matters more to Japanese Americans and/or Japanese Americans of Latin American descent?
What are some of the differences between the case of Japanese Americans of Latin American descent and Japanese Americans detained in World War II?
Which archival document stood out to you and why?
What are other historical wrongs that the U.S. could/should potentially address through reparations?
What are connections you could make with contemporary issues regarding race, xenophobia, incarceration, and perceived threats to U.S. security?
What questions do you still have? What are you still curious about?