Quiet Defiance: The Empty Chair Story

By Karleen Grummett After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, people of Japanese ancestry living on America's West Coast, including Alaska, were forcibly removed from their homes and jailed in concentration camps. This book looks at the Japanese community of Juneau, Alaska, a small, tightly knit, remote community accessible only by boat. The story revolves around John Tanaka, a senior and designated class valedictorian. Before he and his family were shipped out of Juneau, a special assembly was held at the Juneau High School where John received an early diploma. However, later at the actual graduation ceremony, in an act of quiet defiance, his chair was left empty to express the void and injustice felt by the community for him and other missing friends and neighbors. Paper: 175 pp.