Art Miki was five years old in May 1942, when the Canadian government forced him and his family to leave their home in British Columbia because they were Japanese. As part of a special law that gave the government extra power during wartime, thousands of Japanese people in Canada were interned during the Second World War, which meant they lost their homes and had to work in camps, on farms, or wherever else the government made them go. Art and his family were sent to a sugar beet farm in Manitoba, where they continued to face racism from the government and other Canadians.
Many years later, Art worked with other Japanese Canadians to make the government answer for the injustice of internment. After a lot of hard work and collaboration, they finally achieved redress for the wrongs that had been done to them. Recognizing that his family's experience was one of many human rights violations in Canada, Art helped other groups fight for their rights, too.
When we work together, we have the power to push back against injustice and build a better world. Stories like Art's can show us how.
