San Jose Nikkei Resisters: sj.nikkeiresis[email protected]
File photo of Bruce’s Beach in Manhattan Beach.
The following is the testimony as presented by Kathy Masaoka on behalf of NCRR and NP before the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on Feb. 17, 2021. The written testimony is available on request. See the full hearing at https://judiciary.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=4367).
Good morning, Chairperson, ranking member of the committee and members of the committee.
The Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR) and Nikkei Progressives supports H.R. 40 and the Black community’s demand for reparations because: 1) it is the right thing to do; 2) it is long overdue and 3) because we know it is possible we won reparations in 1988. But Japanese Americans were not the first to make the demand.
Picketers representing the National Association of Colored Women march past the White House in Washington, DC, July 30, 1956, carrying posters protesting the lynching of four Black people in Georgia [File: AP]
Today much of the world marks International Women’s Day. From Afghanistan to Guinea-Bissau and the United States, March 8 is recognised as the day to celebrate the achievements of women’s rights movements.
The origins of International Women’s Day can be traced to New York where, in 1908, thousands of garment workers went on strike, marching through the streets of the city to demand better pay and working conditions. Several years later, European feminists held a meeting in Copenhagen where they agreed to establish an international day to commemorate the women’s struggle. In 1911, March 8 was celebrated internationally for the first time.