Life experiences from "A Life Encampment in The USA" and "Escaping North Korea"

CAN WE LEARN FROM HISTORY?

Historically suppression of civil liberties has taken different forms — for example, it can stem from political ideology, arise from xenophobia and racism, or be the result of demagoguery. It has occurred in our country as well as beyond our borders.

But the central question is: can we learn from history? Can history give us the guidance to protect our civil liberties? To take action? Personal tales of overcoming suppression of civil liberties will be the focus of the Community Bridge Builders upcoming program on Tuesday, July 29th at 7:00 in Clubhouse 2. Admission is free for members, and $5.00 for non-members.

Two speakers will share their unique experiences. The first is Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a Japanese American, who will discuss the experience of his parents and grandparents were among the 125,000 of Japanese descent incarcerated in our country during World War II. The shadow of that experience dominated all their lives. According to Yamaguchi, “we ended up paying for a crime we did not commit in a country we called our own.” For many years, the rallying cry of Japanese Americans was “Never Again.” Yamaguchi will also discuss how those events shaped more positive modern attitudes.

Our second speaker, Dr. Jai Poong Ryu, left North Korea when he was six years old with his mother and sister to rejoin family in the South. That was a few years before the Korean War and division. That trip changed his life. Dr. Ryu subsequently immigrated to the United States, earned a doctorate in sociology, taught and conducted research in macro- sociological interpretation of history, conflict resolution, demography, and social institutions.

Today Dr.Ryu is passionate about unifying the Korean Peninsula and securing basic human rights for all Koreans. He founded the One Korea Foundation, Inc. in 2012 which support the reunification of the Peninsula as a free and democratic republic.