Allyship: Interconnected Histories, Shared Futures
Never Again is Now! is grounded in the belief that movements for justice do not exist in isolation. While our project centers the history of Japanese American incarceration and San José State University’s role in Executive Order 9066, we also recognize that the phrase “Never Again” resonates across communities because it reflects a universal call to action—a commitment to prevent the repetition of state violence, discrimination, and injustice in all its forms. Our work honors this lineage of solidarity.
Across generations, Japanese American organizers have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with other marginalized groups, transforming historical memory into active advocacy. From speaking out against the Muslim Ban, to supporting Black leaders advancing reparations for African Americans, to uplifting Indigenous sovereignty and forming the Neighbors Not Enemies Coalition of San Jose Japantown in defense of immigrants and their rights, these acts of allyship illuminate a shared struggle against systems that criminalize, exclude, and attempt to erase our communities.
This tradition of solidarity is also deeply rooted in Japanese American political identity. While Japanese American identity emerged from the trauma of forced removal, our political identity was shaped through the Asian American movement and the Third World student movement—movements built in partnership with other Asian Americans, Chicano and Latino organizers, and African American communities fighting for liberation. San José’s place-based history reflects this intertwined struggle: from its historic Mexican American community, to generations of Asian American residents across ethnic lines, to an historic African American population that is providing significant civil liberties leadership despite being under major stress from economic and structural inequities. Our vision for the future draws from all of these histories and acknowledges the communities whose lives and labor shape this city.
This commitment to cross-community solidarity also guides the leadership of our project. Our advisory committee is intentionally composed of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and lived backgrounds. Their perspectives strengthen our collective ability to remember history with integrity, uplift stories that have been marginalized, and ensure this mural reflects not only Japanese American resilience but a broader ecosystem of movements committed to justice.
As a student-led initiative, we understand that true remembrance is inseparable from collective resistance. We honor the many communities who have shown up for Japanese Americans—and the ways Japanese Americans have shown up for others—by committing ourselves to an ongoing practice of learning, accountability, and action.
Our work is a reminder that the fight for civil liberties extends beyond a single moment in history. The injustices that targeted Nikkeijin in 1942 are part of a larger pattern that continues to shape the lives of oppressed communities today. By centering allyship, we aim to illuminate these connections, disrupt silence, and uplift the leadership of those who have long been at the forefront of social change.
As we continue to reclaim this space and memorialize the stories of those who suffered under EO 9066, we situate their experience within a broader ecosystem of movements for justice. We recognize the pain, resilience, and resistance of communities who continue to confront systemic racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Blackness, and all forms of state-sanctioned violence.
Our commitment is to stand in solidarity—not just in reflection, but in action. Never Again is Now! compels us to honor our past by shaping a future rooted in dignity, equity, and collective liberation. Through this mural, and through the alliances that sustain it, we affirm that our struggles are interconnected, and our liberation is shared.