Much has been made, and rightly so, of the injustice done to Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. Rounded up with little ceremony or warning, sent to faraway internment camps, their business seized or left to wither, theirs is a heartbreaking story of cruelty and hysteria.
The history of Chinese immigrants in America, and particularly in San Francisco in the second half of the 19th Century, is a similar cautionary tale. They were systematically deprived of rights and herded into urban ghettos.
When I was growing up, Chinatown in San Francisco was a fun place to visit. We walked down Grant Avenue and gawked at the souvenirs in the shops. I bought an abacus one time. But I recently saw a documentary that pointed out how the laws of 100 or more years ago led to the development of Chinatown and used the word ghetto in that context. that was an eye opener! For years, I’ve read about the Jewish ghettos of Warsaw and other European cities. It never crossed my mind that a similar ghetto was right here under my nose.
Getting back to internment, a couple of months ago, we were walking around Fisherman’s Wharf when I happened to spot a little sign explaining some of the Fisherman’s Wharf history. Reading it, I was astonished to learn that the San Francisco Italian community – centered in the North Beach neighborhood (not considered a ghetto) – was interned in a similar way as the Japanese. They were taken away from their home and businesses and put in camps. In their case, it was not as long nor as draconian, perhaps because Italy was considered less of a danger on the West Coast.
I took a picture of the sign so I could write about it with accuracy but now I can’t find it . . . I did find this article for those who wish to read up on the issue further. I must say that one phrase leaped off the page at me: ‘Executive Order’.
We will never learn.