In Our Own Backyard: Safeguarding Lives, Liberties, and Justice for All Before Disasters Strike

by Jin Woo Cho

In Our Own Backyard: Safeguarding Lives, Liberties, and Justice for All Before Disasters Strike, was held on April 6^th at the Wang Center Theatre as one of the programs for Asian Heritage Month. The purpose of this presentation was to raise awareness for Asian Americans regarding how the disasters that hit affected them and the United States ; the tsunami that swept over thirteen Asian countries, the risk of Avian flu, and the government’s mistreatment of certain religions and ethnicities after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The event started with a student performance, a tribute to the victims of the tsunami in the form of Indian dance and Sri Lankan testimony. It was followed by the first session in which Lynn Bocamazo, Senior Coastal Engineer, spoke about the possible flooding impact of a hurricane on Long Island , where a large proportion of Asian Americans reside. She acknowledged that Long Island is not a “non-hurricane area” regarding the past history of the damages caused by hurricanes, asserting that some kind of safety measures should be enacted for the prevention of potential disaster.

After part one, there was an award ceremony for Brooke Ellison, advocate for the disabled and policy analyst for NYC Councilman John Liu. She was lauded for her efforts on human rights by Michele DelMonte, Suffolk County Human Rights Commissioner.

The second part of the event was about the risk of Avian flu in the Long Island area, which was presented by Brian L. Harper, MD and Commissioner of Health for Suffolk County . He said Long Island is vulnerable to Avian flu due to the prevalence of birds in the island, and given what has happened with the West Nile virus, the disease would spread quickly.

The next interlude performance was another tribute, but this time to the 50,000 Vietnamese Americans who were left homeless after Hurricane Katrina. 

Then Gary Okihiro, Director of Columbia University’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, spoke about the topic of migration, national security, and democracy. He talked about the Japanese immigration in Hawaii and the Japanese internment in concentration camps during WWII, which are examples of migration of Asian Americans initiated by the U.S. government in the name of securing national defense. Okihiro asserted that Asian Americans are also citizens of the United States , and they should not be subjected to mistreatment by their own government just because they look different from the typical image of what an American citizen is - white.

Stony Brook students contributed to this event once again with a discussion-like narrative called “Looking Like the Enemy.” It was a skit pointing out how certain minorities have been treated like terrorists since the 9/11 attacks.

The interview of U.S. Army Captain James Yee by journalist Bill Zimmerman was parallel to the previous section and the performance. Yee, a Muslim Chaplain who was sent to Guantanamo army base to minister to Muslim prisoners, found himself charged with spy activities for terrorists, which lead to his imprisonment. After Yee’s appeal and the changes of charges made by the U.S. government, it eventually dropped all charges and released him. 

During the interview, Chaplain Yee talked about the mistreatment he experienced while be kept in solitary confinement. They would not tell him, a Muslim, the direction to Mecca for praying. He pointed out that due to the fact that he is an Asian and a Muslim, both minorities in terms of ethnicity and religion in this country, he was targeted by the government. Yee finished by saying that awareness of minorities should be initiated by the government, and it should not be suppressing those populations because this country was founded under the ideals that everyone has equal freedom and rights.

The event concluded with Janice Mirikitani reading her poem, “Cry”, via video from California. "Cry" is about a time in American history when, according to the U.S. government’s self-study, "the Constitution failed".