Since Donald Trump's election in November, Americans in Japan have marched in the streets, protested near the U.S. Embassy and given speeches in various public spaces. Some may wonder why non-Japanese nationals demonstrate in Japan against policy made 10,000 kilometers away.
While I do not speak for everyone, many believe there is civic value in taking a public position on important issues, and that our responsibilities as American citizens do not end when we board a plane. We are still called upon to vote, contact elected officials, make donations and, yes, march, protest and rally. We march because we are citizens, but also to become better citizens. Such gatherings create momentum for people to influence decision-makers through letter writing, phone calls and other advocacy.
As a Jew whose immigrant grandparents saw much of our family murdered in Nazi concentration camps, I understand the danger of demagogues. But do we need to personally suffer from acts of injustice to feel another person's pain? To be outraged? To stand up against bullies? Many with far more to risk have taken a public stand, so I feel a moral obligation, especially as a person of privilege, to stand with them and on behalf of all those too vulnerable to raise their voices in speaking truth to power.