While recent hate crimes against Asian-Americans feel like a second pandemic, they are merely a retread of past events. For me and other Asian-Americans, it feels like cultural déjà vu. As the descendant of Japanese immigrants, I grew up hearing about segregation, xenophobia, internment camps and racism. I was aware of subtler forms of racism like assimilation.
Assimilation is an attempt by a majority group to erase a minority culture and it happened in downtown Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City’s Japantown used to be a thriving cultural hub for Japanese immigrants like my great-grandparents. Shops, restaurants and churches were safe places in a segregated society that distrusted Japanese immigrants and their children. The construction of the Salt Palace and the upheaval of J-Town displaced hundreds of residents and erased almost a century of history. The loss was felt by multiple generations of Japanese-Americans.
All that remains of the neighborhood is a street housing the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple and the Japanese Church of Christ that hosts annual festivals. Proposed housing complexes adjacent to the street would reduce the area to a congested parking nightmare. This would reduce access and hedge in the street. We can build housing anywhere we want but we cannot restore history once we have completely erased it.
If we want to increase tourism, beautify the city, boost local business and heal our community, we should enact the proposal to renew Japantown Street. The plans would create a cultural district celebrating Japanese and Asian heritage. It would rejuvenate the area with trees, sculptures and art. It would also pay homage to the former residents of Japantown. We cannot prevent hate, but we can foster understanding and respect by helping rebuild communities.
Adam Watanabe, Salt Lake City
