As I was reading the daily pundit summary on Daily Kos, I
came across this fascinating account of the anti-Asian paranoia in the early
part of the twentieth century that led eventually to the internment of Japanese-Americans
during World War II. I mention it here
because it gives me the opportunity to tell once again a family story of which
I am very proud. Faithful readers of
this blog will recall that my paternal grandfather, Barnet Wolff, was a leader
of the Socialist Party in New York City during the first quarter of the last
century. In 1910, he went as a delegate
[representing the Jewish Agitation Bureau!] to the annual Socialist Party
convention in Chicago. At the
convention, I am appalled to have to report, the assembled socialists voted in
favor of excluding Asian workers from the United States. But my grandfather, God bless him, voted against the proposal.
For my account of the affair, you can read pages 22-5 of Barney’s Political Career archived at
box.net, accessible via the link at the top of this page.
1 comment:
That is a bit of family history to be proud of.
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