Judge’s column on the ‘pattern of blame and harassment’ hits home

I read Judge Rupa Goswami's article and it hit home -- hard. ("Time to break a historical pattern of blame and harassment," Sept. 1, 2020). I have been married for 30 years to my wonderful wife Nancy, who is third-generation Japanese-American, and it pains me the discrimination she has endured along with her family. During World War II, her mother's family was interned at the Manzanar Internment Camp while her father served in the most decorated U.S. Army regiment in military history, the 442nd. As a child, she and her siblings hated going to school on December 7 in order to avoid the taunts and racial slurs for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Her mother-in-law was pulled over by a police officer without cause and referred to as "Mrs. Tojo."

My wife has been told she does not belong in this country. When her relatives were visiting from Japan, they were taunted with racial epithets. On another occasion when we were returning to the U.S. following a cruise, a U.S. customs agent commented on my wife's command of the English language. I had to beg my wife not to say anything in response to this stupid comment for fear of retribution. The racial insensitivity has also trickled down to our son, and it took him years to acknowledge to others that he has a Japanese middle name.

The racial insensitivity has also been subtle. On occasion she will be asked where she's from and when she replies she's a native Californian, the response is always: "No, where are you really from?" I am third-generation Swiss-American. No one asks me where I am from, although several times I've been asked where my wife is from. My response is always "She's American." 

-- Richard M. Stoll

Law Offices of S. Henslee Smith