The 1988 Reparations Act – Justice or Just a Start?

In this episode of PULSE & POLITICS, host Alana Sanders breaks down the 1988 Civil Liberties Act—often misunderstood as a blanket reparations bill for Asians or the Chinese community. Signed by President Ronald Reagan, this law granted reparations to Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II. Alana unpacks what the law actually says, how much each survivor received, how long it took, and why this matters in today’s ongoing conversations around reparations for other marginalized communities. Is justice selective in America? Tune in for ten thought-provoking minutes that connect history to the present and challenge us to think critically about fairness, equity, and policy.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
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(00:21):
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right now from the city to the world. Got the

(00:42):
fact so clear. Elina Sanders keeps it real in here.
That's the post, That's the truth only on Pulsing Politics.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome. It's Pulsing Politics, the show where we
unpacked policy, break down history and ask the real questions
about justice, equity and power. I'm your host, Selena Sanders,
and today we're diving into the nineteen eighty eight Civil

(01:18):
Liberties Act. How many of you knew about this act?
I don't think that many people are aware. It's also
known as the Reparations Act for Japanese Americans. Now, let's
clear something up. This Act was passed in nineteen eighty eight,
well signed into law. Let me get that correct, signed

(01:39):
into law in nineteen eighty eight by President Ronald Reagan.
And no, it wasn't for all Asians are Chinese community
or the Chinese community specifically. It was for Japanese Americans
who were forcibly removed and incarcerated in internment camps during
World War Two. So let's break this down because class

(02:09):
is in session. What was the Civil Liberties Act of
nineteen eighty eight. Now, this act acknowledged the injustice of
the Japanese American internment during World War two. Over one
hundred and twenty thousand people of Japanese descent, most of
them were you as citizens who were detained in camps

(02:33):
from nineteen forty two to nineteen forty five. This law
was the federal government's official apology, an attempt to make
it right. Now. I know y'all probably thinking the same
thing I'm thinking, but I'm gonna continue. I'm gonna continue.
Under this act, each surviving internee received a payment of

(02:56):
twenty thousand dollars. Now, in this day and age, that's
about fifty three thousand dollars, Okay, adjusted for inflation. The
law also established a public education fund to teach this
part of history and prevent future injustices. Now you might
be wondering how many people qualified and how long did

(03:18):
it take for them to get their money. Listen up,
I did say classes in session. School is in session. Okay,
the bill has wrong About eighty two thousand Japanese Americans
were still alive when the bill passed. But here's the thing.
It wasn't like folks got checks today. Reagan signed the papers. Okay,

(03:40):
sign the paper, because it wasn't multiple executive order. Okay,
sign the paper. Payments didn't start going out until nineteen
eighty eight under President George H. W. Bush. It took
a two two It took two four years, two years

(04:01):
to start the program. Did you hear me? Two years
to start the program. The last check went out in
nineteen ninety nine, over a decade after the law passed. So, yes,
it was it was reparations. But it was also a
long bureaucratic process, is what they stated. Now, I don't
consider two years a long process. Now, nineteen ninety nine

(04:25):
was the last time they received their check, and they're
still communities waiting on reparations, waiting for them to even
consider reparation, So it only applied to the direct victims.
Descendants did not receive compensation, only the living survivors who
had experienced the incarceration firsthand. That's an important detail to

(04:48):
understand and to know, especially when we start comparing this
modern conversation about reparations for Black Americans Indigenous people, are
even other communities that face government sanctioned violence and systemic oppression.
Now you may ask this question. Here's the part where

(05:10):
we shift gears a bit. Was it fair? Was it enough?
And why did the US government decide that this community
deserve reparations but has stalled or outright ignored calls for

(05:30):
other communities. Let's be real, as I always say, Black
Americans endued over four hundred, four hundred years of slavery,
Jim Crow, redlining, mass incarceration, and more. Native Americas systematic genocide,
land theft, broken treaties, boarding schools. But where's their Civil

(05:57):
Liberties Act? Where's the federal acknowledgement with a check and
a plan? The nineteen eighty eight Act was rare because
America rarely apologizes with action. So that's why I was
so interested in this story, and when it does, it

(06:18):
usually it's limited, narrow, and let's be honest, strategic strategic
Japanese American has won support for reparations at the decade
of advocacy, organizing and careful political lobbying. It took decades
after their trauma for the government to say we were wrong,

(06:41):
and even then it came with some pushbacks. So if
you're frustrated, you're not alone. There's many communities out there
that even get discussed, or it wasn't even placed on
a bill, or was put on a bill and wasn't
even heard. So yeah, there's a lot of frustration out there.
So let's talk real life. Imagine this. Your grandmother lived

(07:05):
through slavery, your uncle was targeted in the War on drugs,
your mother's community was redline, your father's land taken by
imminent domain. And when the topic of reparation comes up,
people say, well, it was a long time ago. A

(07:27):
nobody alive today was a slave. But in nineteen eighty
eight the United States gave reparations for something that happened
in the nineteen forties. That's logic. It don't track. We
have a president, the government can pay reparations. The government

(07:49):
has paid reparations, so now we need to ask what
makes one community suffering more payable than another. I'm just
curious to know if any of you we're even aware
of this Reparation Act. It it's very interesting to to
see that it has been done. But when other communities

(08:10):
who A and I don't like to say suffer more,
I don't, I mean s any suffering is wrong, but
that some damage, some real, true damage has been done,
they're ignored. The nineteen eighty eight Civil Liberty Act was
a wind for justice, but it also put a spotlight
on selective memory of this country. Reparations on a fantasy.

(08:34):
They're a documented historical fact. But whether your community gets them,
that scenes depend on politics. And we know the pressure
and persistence. Let me say that again, politics, pressure, I persistence.
So what do we do with that? What?

Speaker 1 (08:57):
What?

Speaker 2 (08:57):
H How do we combat that? We We keep organizing, Yes,
we keep doing that, We keep educating, and most of all,
we don't let them we write or watch out the
history to make us forget what it's due and what
is own. This is pauls and politics. I'm Melina Sanders.
Thanks for listening and remember justice isn't charity. It's a receipt.

(09:28):
Justice isn't charity. It's a receipt. Only on Pulse and
only

Speaker 1 (10:00):
M