NCCR Releases Curriculum on Interethnic Relations and the Internment

4/1/08

The Nikki for Civil Rights and Redress has released a curriculum, the “Stand Up for Justice Curriculum Guide,” around a 33-minute film about Ralph Lazo for secondary school social sciences teachers. The “Stand Up for Justice” film is about 17-year-old Lazo’s World War II friendship with his Nisei high school classmates from Belmont High School. Lazo, a Latino of Mexican and Irish descent, decided to go with them to the Manzanar concentration camp and remained at Manzanar for more than two years. He graduated from Manzanar High School in 1944, was drafted into the armed forces, and later became active in the movement to win reparations for Japanese Americans.

The lessons are especially geared for 11th and 12th graders. Teachers at other grade levels have used the film to promote interethnic understanding, and, at the college level, instructors have screened the educational video in their Asian American history classes.

2,000 copies of the guide/DVD were produced and are available free to secondary school Social Studies teachers. During the last nine months over 400 copies were distributed to teachers who attended workshops in Southern California and in the San Francisco Bay area. At this time, the film/ guide is available only to teachers (social studies/high school) in California.

Educators who are willing to organize a workshop for ten or more people should contact the Education Committee at ncrrla@yahoo.com. NCRR will send a teacher to conduct the workshop or arrange for the training of persons willing to do the workshops.