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March 1, 2017
Painful History Shared
Nearly 200 attendees packed Portland
Community College’s Southeast Campus
last week to remember the 75th anniver-
sary of Executive Order 9066.
The presidential act, signed by Frank-
lin D. Roosevelt, came about because of
fear in 1942 at the height of World War
II. The painful result of its enactment
sent more than 120,000 Japanese-Ameri-
cans to internment camps.
PCC leaders acknowledged this mo-
ment in history by hosting the remem-
brance and affirming the college’s tenants
of inclusion where all people, regardless
of origin are able to equitably access and
create a successful future.
PCC President Mark Mitsui and Mari
Watanabe of the Portland Business Alli-
ance, both Japanese-Americans, shared
their families’ stories of life in the intern-
ment camps. A panel discussion led by
several community and academic leaders
was thought provoking, ranging from is-
sues of legality in times of war, to actions
that can be taken to prevent future acts
which infringe on civil rights.
Portland business and civic leader Sho Dozono and Lynn
Fuchigami Longfellow of the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center
speak at a Portland Community College event to mark the
75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, the painful and
unjust presidential degree that sent more than 120,000 Jap-
anese-Americans to internment camps during World War II.
Moving Forward
c ontinued froM P age 3
identity looks like and means for them,” he said.
The non-profit group attempts to create more sta-
ble home environments for the families enrolled in
its programming.
“All the research around early brain development
tells us that one of the most critical things that you
can do for a child that age is give them stability,”
McGee said. “The reality is, for a lot of these fam-
ilies, their social and economic status puts them in
this space where poverty becomes the only thing
that they can do… When you add that to an un-
healthy racial identity, you now have cast them into
sort of this whirl from which upward mobility can
be nearly impossible.”
Citing the disproportionally high rate at which
black families in Multnomah County are locked out
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of housing and employment, McGee explains how
finding suitable jobs for parents, oftentimes, can be
the defining difference in a young person’s devel-
opment.
Moving forward into 2017, McGee expects the
Black Parent Initiative to continue serving its com-
munity.
“We’re at an extremely pivotal point in this city…
It is no longer okay for this community to just sit on
its laurels and say we are progressive. We’re now at
this time where we must not only be progressive, but
we must live out our progressive nature.”
McGee believes that a part of addressing issues
like education, housing and poverty in the Portland
area require a broader viewpoint.
“The issues that face our communities are so
complex, but they’re interwoven… You can’t sep-
arate the issues of economic mobility and the issues
of education. You can’t separate the issues of hous-
ing and the issues of mental health. They’re all one.”