:: DOR ::
Removed by Force Premiere Film Event
By Eileen Yamada Lamphere
NAP Contributor
Removed by Force is a film produced by William Kaneko and Ryan Kawamoto. It delves deeply into the little-known wartime history of Japanese Americans (JAs) who were not incarcerated but forcibly removed from their homes during World War II in 1942. The forced removal was separate and apart from the approximately 2,000 Hawai`i JAs at the Sand Island and Honouliuli incarceration camps on Oahu, Hawaii.
About 1,500 JAs living throughout Hawai`i were unlawfully removed from their homes because of their Japanese ancestry and because they lived in sensitive military zones. At gunpoint, without due process, Hawai`i JAs were forced to leave their homes, with nowhere to go.
Removed by Force also chronicles the role of the Honolulu Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). They are the driving force behind obtaining redress for the Hawai`i JAs who were evacuated from their homes. The film is a powerful story of civic engagement, public advocacy and the advancement of social justice for all.
Left to right: Liz Dunbar, PV-JACL Board of Directors Finance Chair; Hisami Yashida, Olympia JACL; Ryan Kawamoto, film director; Bill Kaneko, film director; Jan Yoshiwara, Olympia JACL; Eileen Yamada Lamphere, PV-JACL Board of Directors President; and Sheldon Arakaki, PNW JACL Governor. Photo credit: unknown.
The film made its Pacific Northwest premiere in February. Puyallup Valley and Olympia JACL Chapters joined with the Office of Equity at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Approximately 85 students, staff and the community attended the viewing.
On February 19, the actual Day of Remembrance, Puyallup Valley and Seattle JACL Chapters joined with Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church to share the film with the Seattle area audience. Over 300 people viewed it, interacted with the film producers and enjoyed light snacks.
The most common comment made at both locations was, “I never knew this about the Japanese in Hawaii. I was always told the Japanese made up over 40 percent of the population so the state economy would have collapsed without the Japanese.” Some myths last over 83 years.
