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CNN Live At Daybreak
Japanese-Americans Honored With Memorial
Aired June 29, 2001 - 08:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A memorial honoring Japanese-Americans and their patriotism will be dedicated later this morning in Washington.
But joining us now -- we're going to get a preview -- she is a woman who took the dream of the monument and made it reality. Cherry Tsutsumida is executive director of the National Japanese-American Memorial Foundation.
Good morning, Cherry.
CHERRY TSUTSUMIDA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL JAPANESE-AMERICAN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: Hi, Carol. Welcome to our memorial.
LIN: Well, it's great to see it. I want -- if we could, have the photographer pull back a little bit so we can get a better view of it. But Cherry, let's start with the wall. This is a wall made out of granite. What is it?
TSUTSUMIDA: It's made out of granite. And we're going to start with Senator Inouye's quotation, which says, "The lesson learned must remain as a grave reminder of what happened to us. It must not be allowed to happen to any other group."
What we are trying to say is, our men, our people sacrificed a great deal, but it was all worth it. If you all in the United States would learn from this and move on with the recognition that it must never happen again to any other group.
LIN: And with that recognition there are hundreds of names engraved on the wall -- who are they?
TSUTSUMIDA: Over on that wall, we have the names of the 812 men who died in battle while their families were in camps behind barbed wire fences or in -- under Martial Law in Hawaii. And the fact that these men so believed in the principles of this nation, that they were willing to make the sacrifice honors our whole history and is worthy of having their names on this wall.
LIN: And what else is there -- behind you, for example, or next to you?
TSUTSUMIDA: Right now?
LIN: Sure.
TSUTSUMIDA: This is the wonderful quotation by Harry S. Truman. And he said: "You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice. And you won. Keep up that fight and we will continue to win and make this great republic stand for what the Constitution says it should stand for."
LIN: Cherry, what does that mean for Japanese-Americans when they not only got a chance to hear those words but now see them engraved on a national monument?
TSUTSUMIDA: Well, I think one of the most important parts of our memorial are the names of the 10 camps at which our people "lived" -- in quotes -- during the duration of the war.
What it does for all of us and those people who are no longer with us, is that it tells us that the United States government understands that it made a terrible mistake and therefore, in regress, has given us not only a token compensation, but this wonderful site in which to build this memorial.
LIN: And there is an elaborate piece of work of art, two cranes, which are intertwined. Can you show those to us and explain what they mean?
TSUTSUMIDA: Those cranes are two cranes, which are sort of a contrast between our symbol, the Asian symbol of prosperity and long life. But if you'll notice they're intertwined in barbed wire and what they're trying to do, like all Americans, is try to break away from the oppression and fly toward the sky in freedom. And I think it's a poignant symbol of what we went through.
LIN: And this is a very personal moment for you as well. I understand that you were interned with your family when you were just 6 years old?
TSUTSUMIDA: Well, I think that I was rather young at the time. But I do think that it's a good feeling to know that in my lifetime we've come full cycle, and this nation has felt that what we went through is worth an apology and this wonderful day.
LIN: Your father was interned as well. And I think he was separated from the family for a good portion of time.
TSUTSUMIDA: Yes.
LIN: Once the family reunited, what did you father tell you about that experience? And did he ever recover from it?
TSUTSUMIDA: Well, you know, that's the sad part. The people who were the older people, the breadwinners, the one who was responsible for us, was the one who lost their property. They lost their livelihood and they never really quite recovered. Now, there are some who did recover. But the vast majority unfortunately, never attained the same livelihood that they had before the war.
LIN: And yet for you this issue really shaped your life and who you became?
TSUTSUMIDA: Well, yes. And I think that the water symbol is sort of a good way of looking at it because water has a way of cleansing and bringing us together and helping us sort of meditate and remember that we are all one people in this nation.
LIN: Cherry Tsutsumida, thank you so much for sharing the monument and giving us a preview of today's event.
She has dedicated her life to civil rights.
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