DETAILS

A powerful and little-known story of civil rights attorney Wayne M. Collins and his unwavering defense of Japanese Americans for decades after WWII. At a time when wartime hysteria and racist hostility swept the nation, Collins stood nearly alone in defending the Constitutional rights of those the government branded disloyal. In today’s climate of shrinking civil liberties, revisiting the principled stands taken by the incarcerated renunciants at Tule Lake is both timely and urgent. Their courage reminds us that defending Constitutional protections is not only historical reflection—it is a call to action now. We hope this film and conversation spark new ideas for how our Japantown community can stand together for justice today.