The Japanese American Experience Prior to and During World War II
Understanding the immigration issues from the birth of the United States of America will help us to better articulate the immigration issues of today and hopefully not stand idly by (or worse, actively promote) while history repeats itself. To explain the impact of the legal laws on immigrations as it applied to the Japanese immigrants, The Center for Lifelong Learning has arranged for Cynthia Izuno Macri, M.D., FACS, FACOG CAPT MC USN (Ret.) to provide a program entitled The Japanese American Experience Prior to and During World War II, which will take place Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 10 a.m. in the Clubhouse1, Maryland Room. Residents interested in attending the program can register to attend with the Lifestyle Department (Clubhouse 1 or Clubhouse 2) or by calling 301-598-1320. Registration begins on the Tuesday following the Friday publication in the Leisure World newspaper. For more details about the class, contact the Center’s website at https://www.cllmd.com.
Some of the wording of these immigration laws is shocking, but in some cases the interpretation is even more so. Understanding the perspective of the legislators and the concerns of their constituents is also important. Unintended consequences began to invite more restrictive wording. Ultimately, the level of diversity of the US population was unintended, and many laws were drafted to try to stem the tide of immigration from Asia, Africa, South and Central America, Mexico, and Eastern Europe. Many immigrants were fleeing oppressive regimes or economic instability and were taken in as refugees and, later, not labeled as immigrants. Cynthia will review some of the laws that directly affected the Japanese immigrants and Americans of Japanese descent. I will also talk specifically about laws enacted to restrict the livelihood and freedom of Japanese immigrants. And lastly, she will discuss her own family history (including some artifacts!) and focus on the legacy of the Japanese Americans who volunteered and were drafted to fight in the Army for the US during WWII.
Dr. Cynthia Izuno Macri (CAPT MC USN-Ret.) served 35 years as a US Navy medical officer. She is the daughter of a Korean War veteran who served in Korea after spending his high school years in Camp Jerome (Arkansas) and graduating from the University of Hawaii. Cpl Izuno went on to earn a PhD in Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota and became a world-renowned international agronomist. CAPT Cynthia Macri is licensed in Maryland and board certified in gynecologic oncology and OB/GYN. After graduating from Temple University School of Medicine, she served in a variety of academic and executive leadership roles at the National Naval Medical Center, Naval Hospital Jacksonville, FL, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Naval Medical Education and Training Command, and the Uniformed Services University before moving to the Pentagon to serve as Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations for Diversity. In December 2017, Dr. Macri joined EagleForce Health, as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.
She is the author or co-author of over 20 scientific papers, 3 book chapters, and over 250 invited presentations. In addition, she has received numerous community service awards for her innovative youth outreach programs to inspire middle and high school students from educationally, economically, and experientially diverse backgrounds to pursue STEM careers. She currently volunteers as a physician to provide services to uninsured or underinsured patients and serves in leadership roles on various community-based nonprofit executive and advisory boards including the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA), Lift-A-Vet, the Asian American Center of Frederick (AACF), Asian American Health Initiative Steering Committee (AAHI) and Asian American InterCommunity Services (AICS).
Since retirement, she is increasingly engaged with veterans’ issues such as homelessness, self-management programs, veterans and women’s health, and substance misuse/abuse, mental health, suicide prevention and big data analytics.
She was appointed to the Advisory Committee for Women Veterans, the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Suicide Prevention, the Maryland Commission on Veterans Affairs (MD-08), the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs, and the Montgomery Count Suicide Prevention Coalition. She also serves on the Lehigh University Sports Alumni Network (Soccer), the Lehigh University Asian Alumni Network, and the Lehigh Women's Soccer Alumnae Leadership Council.
Dr. Macri is an active adult soccer player, representing Camp Springs, Maryland and Northern Virginia on several National Championship teams, and is a member of several adult recreational soccer teams in Howard, Montgomery, Fairfax and Arlington Counties.