Do you know about the 17 year-old Belmont High School student who made the unusual and courageous decision to join his Japanese Americans friends at the Manzanar concentration camp during World War II because believed the incarceration was wrong? For this, his friends remember Ralph Lazo as the “cheerleader” who kept up their spirits and the Japanese American community continues to honor him today.  In 2004, Visual Communication (VC) and the Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR) co-produced a 30-minute film called “Stand Up for Justice” about Ralph and developed a curriculum guide as a tool to teach civil liberties and the impact of the Japanese American incarceration. 

Since 2004, the film has been screened at numerous film festivals and NCRR’s Education Committee has conducted workshops for hundreds of California high school teachers with the hope that the film and guide would bring out lessons about inter-ethnic support and the power of individual actions especially after the targeting of the Arab, Muslim and South Asian American communities since 9/11.  NCRR also hopes that students will also learn about how a small community could wage a grassroots campaign to redress a wrong and win.  In May 2007, then Board Member David Tokofsky, brought the “Stand Up for Justice” project to the attention of the Board which wholeheartedly endorsed the DVD and Curriculum Guide and asked the staff to incorporate its use in the schools. In addition the teachers were recognized by the Board for their work and the family of the late Ralph Lazo shared some thoughts about Ralph.  Made up of mainly teachers, the Education Committee has continued to present the materials at conferences and workshops throughout California and at schools in LAUSD.  Through a Civil Liberties Public Education Program grant, the Education Committee is able to distribute the DVD (educational version) and the curriculum guide for free.  Last February, the DVD with special effects including Spanish and Japanese subtitles was released commercially and is available for sale.

On May 22, 2010 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM in Little Tokyo the NCRR Education Committee is offering a free workshop for LAUSD teachers. This workshop will include a screening of the 30-minute DVD “Stand Up for Justice” and interactive lessons from the curriculum guide. The workshop, DVD and Curriculum Guide are free but space is limited to 25 teachers.  Please RSVP to ncrrla@yahoo.com or call (213) 284-0336.