A Message of Love and Resistance from Tule Lake
On July 4th, during the Tule Lake Pilgrimage, survivors and descendents stood together outside of the jail at Tule Lake Segregation Center, and shared a message of love and resistance with the world:
“We are survivors and descendants of Tule Lake segregation center, the largest concentration camp in US history
We are those who were forced from our homes
Unconstitutionally detained
Labeled disloyal
Segregated from our communities
Separated from our families
Forced to renounce our citizenship
and deported to a place we had never known as home
We are also those who resisted. The history of noncooperation lives in our bones.
We went on strike in the fields
We went on strike in the stockade
We spoke our ancestral language
We held ceremony for those who we lost
We risked our citizenship, our safety, our family ties
To say, ”NO-NO!”
On the 250th anniversary of this country, we call on everyone to rise and resist
Finding courage in the face of fear.
Rooted in our legacy.
Reaching for one another to find our way with resolution.
The greatest risk of all, is to do nothing.
We must all choose to act now:
For the sake of our ancestors
For the sake of our families
For the sake of our children
Kodomo no tame ni
They’re our children set them free”
Drawing upon the courage of our elders and ancestors, who said “No-No,” we once again stood in solidarity in front of Castle Rock, just as they did 84 years ago. We called upon the world to take action and resist–to abolish ICE and free our families, friends, and neighbors.
We cannot celebrate 250 years of independence because we know that nobody is free until everybody is free. But we know that a way forward is possible, as the history of noncooperation lives in our bones. Join us!