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Taking a Stand

So-Cal Japanese Americans remember community hero through film

By Jason Cruz | Special to AsianWeek

On the set of Stand Up for Justice.

Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR) has teamed up with Visual Communications to produce a 30-minute docu-drama focusing on the story of a young Latino teenager who took a stand against the internment of his Japanese American friends.

Set in California during World War II, Stand Up for Justice is the story of Ralph Lazo, a Los Angeles teenager who followed his high school friends to the internment camp at Manzanar. From 1942 to 1944, Lazo voluntarily stayed at Manzanar, where he attended high school and lived with his Japanese friends. Ironically, Lazo left Manzanar because he was drafted by the U.S. military.

It is believed that Lazo was the only non-Japanese without a Japanese spouse to stay in any of the government-run internment camps. The plot focuses on Lazo and his friends as they adjust to life in confinement and plan for an uncertain future.

Receiving grants from the federal government and the state of California, NCRR hopes to shed light on an often-forgotten part of Japanese American history. By focusing on Lazo’s unique story, the project aims to appeal to a broader audience about this important subject.

Lazo died at the age of 67 in 1992. In order to properly depict Lazo and the time period, NCRR interviewed Manzanar internees and Lazo’s high school friends, researched newspaper archives and scoured sources over the Internet.

John Esaki, director of Stand up for Justice, had the daunting task of writing the script portraying Lazo’s experiences at Manzanar. Esaki and his staff went through 12 drafts before finalizing a script. Many individuals within the Los Angeles Japanese community, including actual internees, reviewed the drafts to assure authenticity.

The general consensus gathered from those who knew Lazo is that he was a kind, compassionate individual who made the best out of any situation. Esaki adds, “[Lazo] was a good-natured, average person confronted with a set of circumstances he knew was wrong and [the film] shows his response to the circumstances.”

The film’s producer, Amy Kato, says the film shows that one person’s voice makes a difference.

“Lazo’s voluntary internment is a sign of one person’s dedication to stand up for a cause,” Kato stated.

Although Lazo’s story is known throughout the Japanese community, Lazo rarely spoke publicly about his experiences at Manzanar. “[Lazo] himself wanted the spotlight on Japanese Americans and redress,” stated Janice Harumi Yen, associate producer of Stand Up for Justice. “He didn’t seek the limelight.”

In an interview with the Los Angeles Japanese Daily News shortly after Lazo’s death in 1992, his sister spoke about her brother’s strong feelings about internment. “He was very upset. He felt it was an injustice. That it should never have happened. The Italians and Germans were not placed in camp, just the Japanese.”

Seeking to make the film as authentic as possible, the film crew shot on location in Fillmore, Calif. and at Manzanar, located in the Owens Valley’s high desert, four hours outside of Los Angeles.

The demands of creating a period feel meant scouring the region for cars, houses and clothing that matched the 1940s era. On a limited budget, many individuals volunteered their time and resources to successfully complete the film.

The makers of the film hope it will educate the younger generation about the injustice of internment. Drawing a modern correlation between the internment of Japanese Americans and the animosity toward individuals of Middle Eastern descent since Sept. 11, Kato hopes that this film will serve as a vivid reminder of the need for ethnic tolerance during uncertain times.

NCRR and Visual Communications plan to premiere the film this spring and distribute the film to schools as an educational tool. A teacher’s kit, including background information for teachers, will accompany the film to facilitate discussion on the subject.

The film trailer for Stand Up for Justice will be shown at the Day of Remembrance program at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles on Sat., Feb. 15. The Day of Remembrance commemorates the day President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order enabling the U.S. government to intern people of Japanese ancestry.

For more information about Stand up for Justice go to www.ncrr-la.org.