December 7th, 2008: A proud day has been made of one that has previously lived in infamy. Today marks the naming of a Japanese American as Secretary of Veterans Affairs in our newly formed U.S. presidential cabinet. It also serves as the anniversary of the Japanese army attack on Pearl Harbor.

As a Japanese American citizen of our beautiful country, I have often considered the devastating impact that unfortunate event had on our nation’s understanding of civil liberties. My family was one of thousands who were rounded up along the Pacific coastal regions and whisked off to the desolation of internment camps scattered throughout nearby interior states, all as a claimed matter of ‘national security’. Since then, apologies have been offered, accepted only through collective strength and honor of a proud community and nation. Aged photos, contraband films, and personal recollections from my own family members have served as a constant personal reminder that our country has made mistakes, but it is where we all learn as a nation to never let it happen again.

Then September 11th happened and we lost sight of those lessons, finding our own citizens being held without their civil liberties intact yet again. But a new page has been written, and the next chapter of history will only be proven with time. As president-elect Obama continues to name his dream team of cabinet members, we can only hope that this time around the blood, sweat, and tears of those sad lessons are not forgotten. With his recent appointment of retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki – a decorated veteran of the Vietnam war and member of Japanese American ancestry – as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, things are looking up.

So let December 7th no longer rest in infamy. Let it rise up through the dense fog of uncertainty and stand amongst the tests of time. Change is in the air and boy it sure smells fresh.

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