Buraku Liberation News, September 1997 issue (N0.98)
Essay by youth(3)-Part 1
To Acknowledge that I come from a Buraku Area isnot the End but a Beginning.
By K. T.
The writer first knew that he was of Buraku origin when he was a first year student in junior high school. After that, he was involved in several activities related to the Dowa issue and studied about the Buraku problem. He entered high school .
After entering high school
I found myself alone when I attended the welcome party for freshmen at high school, as I expected. I tried to induce a colleague of the Buraku Liberation Study Circle in my junior high school days who lived in the same Buraku community as mine to join me, even though he did not like to study the Buraku issue since those days.
" Will you attend the welcome party tomorrow ? ", I asked him. He answered, " I don't want to." In the end, he did not join the circle. I understood his decision to keep a distance from the circle because I also had a similar feeling as his when I was a third year student of junior high school. I found it difficult to persuade him to go with me.
In the beginning I did not know what to do at the circle, but I gradually found something to do by joining several activities initiated by my seniors, such as the executive committee of the Buraku Issue Study Meeting and a training for sign language.
I was worried if my classmates would know that I was a member of the Buraku Liberation Study Circle. Although I was never anxious about it in my junior high school days, I became sensitive after entering the circle at high school. One day I decided to tell others about my origin, but I did not have the courage to do it.
I did not have much trouble speaking about myself to junior high school classmates because I believed that they understood the Buraku issue as a result of Dowa education. However, I was not sure if my high school classmates would understand the issue or what they had in their minds.
Above all things, I did not trust them very much. I decided that I would talk about myself when I came to know them better and trust them.
Facing a discriminatory remark
In those days, I faced a discriminatory remark for the first time in my life, which taught me the gravity of discrimination. Although I expected to face such an experience at high school because my senior told me about this possibility before, I had a difficult time coping with the remark.
One day one of my classmates said, "Q community might be a dangerous place." I was frightened and aware that this was a discriminatory remark. I responded, "Buraku areas are the same as other areas." He answered, "I understand. It would be useless to have studied Dowa education at junior high school if I insist on such prejudice." Another friend added a word, which he might have thought defended my position, saying that I must not be of Buraku origin.
After this conversation, I lost my words. I concluded that it's quite difficult to talk about my origin. I was afraid that my classmates would keep away from me and I would be alone, if they knew about it. I made up my mind that I should keep it a secret from everybody.
When school broke up for the summer, I took part in a meeting for junior high school students of our community, as a recent graduate. My secret poured from my lips there. As I listened to the instructions of a teacher who attended the meeting, I began to think that I had better directly talk to my friends about my background.
Although I was tense on the day I finally talked to them, I frankly explained about my background and feelings to them, including that I am of Buraku origin. I also explained that I was uneasy about past conversations between us, and that I was afraid of being left alone if I disclosed the real story.
The two friends seriously listened to my story. I was relieved when they said that they regretted their words. However, I was still anxious about what their attitude toward me would be the next day. To my great relief, they received me in a usual manner.
When I look back upon that incident now, I regret having thought only of my feelings without considering their feelings and not having studied enough about discrimination. What was still better is that I was successful in preventing them from becoming such persons who discriminate against others.
I learned a lot through this experience. I realized anew that there were many people in a painful situation like me throughout Japan. I realized that discriminated against people, including me, should enlighten people who unintentionally make a discriminatory remark. I convinced myself to continue my activities at the Buraku Liberation Study Circle in order to reduce discrimination against people as much as possible. (to be continued)