Just Plain Bill
Why Are They Breaking Jimmy’s Windows?
One of my earliest memories as a child is a day when the
neighbors were breaking the windows in the greenhouse in the side yard of
Jimmy’s house. I was four years old and came running home to ask my dad why
this was happening. I had learned very early not to break windows, so this
action by many of my neighbors, both young and old, really scared me.
My father told me that this was happening because Jimmy and
his family were “Japs.” To a four year old this meant nothing, made no sense
whatsoever, and because I had also learned at an early age not to ask my dad
too many questions, I just dropped the subject. (My father was extremely prejudiced.)
Soon thereafter, the trucks came to Jimmy’s house, and I
never saw him again. Someone eventually moved into that house and the incident,
while quite traumatic, stayed buried in my memory - until 1988 when President
Reagan signed legislation
apologizing for the internment of the Japanese – my friend Jimmy and his family
- during the 2nd World War. Then, and only then, did I connect the
two incidents and it was quite an emotional realization.
I wondered where Jimmy and
his family were taken? Most likely they were held at the Tanforan Race Track,
in San Mateo, CA, and then interned for 3 years at Topaz, AZ until the end of
the war. I also wondered if Jimmy and his family ever returned to Oakland and
the neighborhood where we both spent the very early years of our lives.
Spending most of the first 25
years of my life in Oakland, California, I was fortunate to grow up in a
community that would eventually become integrated. When the 2nd
World War ended, there was rapid integration as several African American, Asian
and Hispanic families settled into my neighborhood. Many had migrated to the
San Francisco Bay Area for work with the war effort. This significantly
enriched the ethnic mix of my neighborhood and in turn, significantly enriched
my life – and I am forever grateful.
At times, I find myself
wondering how Jimmy is doing.
there are moments in time that seem so horribly unjust, i don't understand why the earth doesn't actually stop for a moment and wind up a bit off-kilter. i imagine the window breaking would have been a day like that.
ReplyDeletewhen glass breaks, there is no repair, and how does a new pane of glass fit into a frame without wincing in fear of shattering?