Palak Panner. An Indian dish that is incorporated with paneer (a type of cheese) and spinach curry base. In elementary, I used to bring the dish to school for lunch, and it was fine. I was used to the kids around me asking what am I eating and it became normal to me. But then one day, this one kid came up to me and asked, “Why are you eating vomit?” Instantly, many kids around me laughed and from that point, I became more aware of what I ate at school. I didn’t want to be made fun of again but also felt alienated from my culture. But when reading They Called Us Enemy, it brought back a few of my unwanted memories.

The Japanese societies in the USA were also treated like aliens, but instead of just changing their identities like changing food habits, these problems stayed to haunt these people for many years. These ways of life suddenly changing due to unjust reasons, made me reflect on my life. If I had to just stop my life customs and dreams due to the government imposing new rules, it just seems imaginable. All my cultural traditions, foods, and more, gone. But for the Japanese people trapped in the camps, it’s inspiring to learn about how they were able to succeed and grow.

“If God had wanted us to judge other people, we’d all have been born with silly wigs.”
― Adriano Bulla

But if events like Japanese internment camps were possible, does that mean that it could happen again? Maybe not anything the government imposed, but just among local communities? For example, events such as boycotting a certain race’s product, not going to certain race communities, and various others. We, as a society, need to be prepared to defend ourselves when we aren’t in the wrong to help fight injustices in the system. Making sure we are active citizens, is a first step to implementing our rights as citizens.