To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) Los Angeles hearings, Visual Communications and Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR) presents SPEAK OUT FOR JUSTICE, the entire gavel-to-gavel tape coverage of the Los Angeles hearings, held August 4 - 6, 1981. We are releasing the full 26 hours of tapes, comprising over 150 testimonies from those impacted by Executive Order 9066, including special introductions by various community members.
On Thursday, August 26 at 6pm PT, join Nikkei Progressives and NCRR for Reparations Then! Reparations Now!, a virtual program to commemorate the anniversary of the CWRIC hearings and the passage of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act, which granted reparations for the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The event will feature leaders of N’COBRA and the HR 40 Coalition, who are committed to supporting the demand of Black-led organizations for the passage of HR 40, a commission to study the harms of slavery and to propose reparations.
What are the
1981 CWRIC LA Hearings?
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized Executive Order 9066, leading to the forced internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans in remote regions of the United States. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) was created by Congress in the summer of 1980 to examine the circumstances surrounding the World War II displacement and imprisonment of Japanese Americans, to compile its findings in a report and recommend “appropriate remedies” for any wrongdoings. In 1981, NCRR and Visual Communications, fully aware of the historic nature of the Commission hearings and their potential educational value to the community and public, collaborated to film the Los Angeles hearings of the CWRIC.
The testimonies cover personal stories of former internees and their children, in addition to the range of effects of Japanese American internment during World War II that cover property, business, and economic loss; psychological impact; health impact; mental health impact; impact of FBI activities; voluntary relocation experiences; educational impact; military and veteran experiences; search, seizure, and mistreatment; constitutional issues; and resettlement. These testimonies encouraged Japanese Americans to push for reparations.
CURRENT RELEASES
-
![]()
Speak Out for Justice: August 4, 1981
August 4th, 1981 was the first day of the CWRIC Los Angeles hearings, consisting of testimonies that cover the personal accounts of Japanese American internees, their children, and the wide range of effects stemming from camp experiences due to Executive Order 9066. Testifiers experienced business and property loss, being forced from their homes, feeling exploited, and then being sent home with nothing to come back to. Internees also shared their post-camp trauma and feelings of shame for being Japanese American.
-
![]()
Speak Out for Justice: August 5, 1981
August 5th, 1981 was the second day of the CWRIC Los Angeles hearings, consisting of testimonies from Japanese American veterans, many of whom were drafted for World War II as a way of avoiding internment. Other testifiers experienced economic loss, psychological trauma, and discrimination in schools. This violation of basic civil and human rights due to Executive Order 9066 fueled the growing demand for Redress and Reparations.
-
![]()
Speak Out for Justice: August 6, 1981 Speak Out for Justice: August 6, 1981
August 6th, 1981 was the third and final day of the CWRIC Los Angeles hearings, consisting of testimonies from the issei (first-generation Japanese Americans) who chose to testify in Japanese, along with first-hand accounts of internees from Terminal Island. Mental health professionals, educators, and members from various organizations also share the impact that internment has on intergenerational trauma, and demand constitutional remedy through redress and reparations.
-
![]()
Speak Out for Justice: Little Tokyo Towers Evening Session
On the evening of August 4, 1981, NCRR arranged a special evening session at the Little Tokyo Towers in Los Angeles, so that people who worked during the day could attend and participate in the CWRIC hearings. While the testimony footage for this session is incomplete and disjointed, the testifiers provide their heartbreaking experiences of personal loss, trauma, and discrimination.
