88-year old Yuka Fujikura says that it is wrong “to judge someone by ethnicity or their religion.” Ms. Fujikura knows a little something about this as she was a Japanese-American teenager during World War II, and in this piece for the New York Times, reflects on the painful time in history when the American government forced tens of thousands of people of Japanese descent into detention centers, and the disheartening similarities to the recent backlash against Syrian refugees after the recent attacks in Paris.
“It’s people reacting in hysteria because of fear,” says Marielle Tsukamoto, 78, who was interned with her family during World War II. “We’re better than that. This is a country that is based on welcoming immigrants.”
