Displacement Kiku Hughes Quotes

Being from the Future meant very little when my education on the past was so limited

I think sometimes a community's experience is so traumatic, it stays rooted in us even generations later. And the later generations continue to rediscover that experience, since it's still shaping us in ways we might not realize. Like losing the ability to speak Japanese, losing connection to Japanese culture, they're all lasting impacts of the camps that travel down the generations.

Our connection to the past is not lost, even if we don't have all the documents, even if we never learn the details. The memories of our community experiences stay with us and continue to affect our lives.

A memory is too powerful a weapon.

The persecution of a marginalized group of people is never just one act of violence - its' a condemnation of generations to come who live with the ongoing consequences. We may suffer from these traumas, but we can also use them to help others and fight for justice in our own time.

But when a community comes together to demand more, when we do not let trauma stay obscured but bring it up to the surface and remember it together, we can make sure it is not repeated.