Glossary
Issei: First-generation Japanese immigrants to the United States of America.
Starting in the 1860s, hundreds of thousands of Japanese immigrated to the United States. These Issei faced extreme discrimination, were barred from owning property by so-called "alien land laws," and were only hired into low-paying jobs. States like California enforced segregation of Japanese immigrants, and the Federal government made them ineligible for citizenship. This is the generation that fought for the American dream, only to have it all taken away when they were interned in 1942.Nisei: Second-generation Japanese American, children of Issei.
Because the children of the Issei were born on U.S. soil, the Nisei were automatically United States citizens. (United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649, 651, 18 S. Ct. 456, 458, 42 L. Ed. 890 (1898)). Despite this, the Nisei also faced discrimination and were treated as outsiders, despite being raised in the U.S., speaking English, and attending American schools, including universities like USC. The Nisei generation was interned with their parents, some of them born in the internment camps, and others old enough to be pulled out of the internment camps to serve in the U.S. army's war with Japan.
Sansei: Third-generation Japanese Americans, children of Nisei.
The Sansei generation also felt the impact of internment, with many of the children born during internment or in the Baby Boom that began at the close of the War. The Sansei are often referred to as the "activist generation" because of their fight for redress and reparations for Japanese Internment.
Nikkei: Japanese who emigrated permanently away from Japan, and their descendants.
Nikkei is derived from the term nikkeijin in Japanese. This inclusive term accounts for generational Japanese American immigrant groups, the Issei, Nisei, and Sansei. Usages of the term may depend on perspective.
JACL: Japanese American Citizens League
The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose mission is to secure and safeguard the civil and human rights of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and all communities who are affected by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American Community.
NCJAR: National Council for Japanese American Redress
Founded in 1979, NCJAR organized a national effort for redress and reparations for Japanese people who had been imprisoned in internment camps during World War II. This group became best known for bringing a class action lawsuit against the U.S. government for damages caused by the wartime exclusion and incarceration.
NCRR: National Coalition for Redress/Reparations (aka Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress)
NCRR collected testimonials from Japanese Americans from all walks of life, unlike some other reparation groups that focused on upper-class Japanese Americans. The perspective NCRR provided through these accounts prompted a more confrontational approach, using examples and parallels with other racial and ethnic groups, as part of their argument. NCRR also sponsored reparations bill in 1982. In 2000, the organization became Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress.
USC APAA: University of Southern California Asian Pacific Alumni Association
This USC Alumni group is committed to creating a community—and a society—where everyone is valued and free from fear and oppression. The APAA hosts programming and events celebrating Asian and Asian-American USC students and alumni. They give numerous scholarships, offer student mentorship, and host alumni outreach events each year.