#hapaforequality

I might be at the airport for a while... . . . #hapaforequality #hapaartist #jfk #airport #protest #letthemin #refugees #muslimrights #nyc (at JFK Int'l-Terminal 4 Arrivals)

This is a photo of my great-grandfather, Shinkichi Kiyono in the Tule Lake internment camp. You can find him easily online. He, along with his wife and teenage children, we're forced to live in an internment camp for 4 years in reaction to the fear and prejudice of the Japanese. They were not terrorist spies, they were not even here illegally, and yet their very existence was treated like a crime. My grandparents never really talked about their own experience during this time, but I know how the trauma has carried on for generations. Fear kills. It kills your culture. It kills your trust. It kills your spirit. It makes you so invisible that the only way your own family can see you is from a one-sided photo from an internet search. For all of those who are unsure about how to react to this ban on immigrants, refugees and everyone else of the Muslim community coming to this country, know that YES, IT DOES MATTER. Many of these people are even U.S. citizens trying to come home, and if you are the proud U.S. citizen you say you are, I know you will fight for them as hard as you fight for our troops, many of whom are Muslim now, and many of whom where Japanese then, including my own Great Uncle. WE ARE ALL AMERICANS, despite how different our many religions/cultures/skin colors seem. DO NOT FORGET IT. For those directly affected by this, what I can say is that YOU DO MATTER, no matter how much the world wants to convince you of the opposite. For as much comfort that it will give, I will fight for you in whatever way I can. Much love, Sami. . . . #hapaforequality #muslimrights #muslim #muslimamarican #neverforget #protest #japanese #america #internmentcamps #family #fightforwhatsright