February 19: A Reminder That None of This Is New

Some of America's most dreadful chapters unfolded on this day, and that trend continues in 2026

I intended to publish this on February 19, but the first day of Ramadan took that slot.

Every time injustice rears its head in this country, a familiar refrain from well-meaning Americans emerges: "I don't recognize this America.” Or, “This is unprecedented.”

It was said when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It was said when insurrectionists stormed the Capitol. It was said when children were put in cages at the border. And it’s being said now as ICE murders American citizens and immigrants with impunity. It is an oft-repeated phrase whenever America shows itself for what it has always been: a nation built on laws that have long prioritized whiteness at the expense of justice. A nation built on stolen land by people stolen from their land.

February 19 is a day that should remind us of this hard truth. Two moments in history expose the systemic racism embedded in America’s legal system—and give us a glimpse into how to overcome such injustices. Let’s Address This.

Significance of February 19 in American History

February 19, 1923: On this date 103 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Indian immigrants were ineligible for U.S. citizenship because they were brown, not white. It sounds incredulous, but that was the Supreme Court’s ruling. Despite meeting every other requirement, their skin color made them unworthy in the eyes of the law. At the center of the case was Bhagat Singh Thind, an Indian Sikh man born in Punjab who migrated to the U.S. in 1913 and enlisted in the U.S. Army. Despite his documented immigration, his service in the U.S. Army to defend this country, and his law-abiding status—the white supremacist Supreme Court refused to allow him to seek citizenship because he was not white.

How much has changed more than 100 years later when the exact same thing is still happening? Meet Zahid Chaudhry and his wife Melissa. Zahid is a South Asian immigrant and valiantly served in the United States Army. Despite serving honorably and following all legal protocols, ICE unlawfully detained Zahid during a citizenship appointment—and is attempting to deny him his citizenship altogether. Like Bhagat Thind, Zahid Chaudhry did everything right, by the book, the way he was supposed to. And just like Bhagat Thind, Zahid does not have the complexion for protection and is facing the exact same prosecution from a racist and fascist ICE agency.

February 19, 1942: On this date, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, forcing 120,000 Japanese Americans—many of them U.S. citizens—into concentration camps simply because of their heritage. The Supreme Court upheld this atrocity in Korematsu v. United States, reinforcing that national security was an acceptable excuse for racial discrimination.

Once again, America was at war with Japan, Germany, and Italy. If the stated goal of EO 9066 and the Korematsu ruling really was about national security, then why were German and Italian Americans not also “rounded up” the same way as were Japanese Americans? The answer is simple—these orders and rulings were never about national security, they were always about upholding white supremacy. It is no wonder that post-World War 2, thousands of Nazis were rewarded with safety and refuge in the United States¹—while the United States simultaneously blocked all Black and brown immigration, and even while concentration camps holding Japanese Americans remained intact.

Now nearly a century later, the current regime is spending billions of taxpayer dollars building new concentration camps—this time for Latino and Black immigrants. As reported in numerous outlets including The Guardian:

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) expects to spend an estimated $38.3bn on a plan to acquire warehouses across the country and retrofit them into new immigration detention centers with capacity for tens of thousands of detainees, according to documents the agency sent to the governor of New Hampshire.

This is on top of ICE’s continued enforcement of cruel and weaponized policy to deny asylum to brown Latino immigrants, even though asylum is a constitutionally protected human right. ICE continues to target Latino immigrants by raiding sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and shelters—while ignoring that there are some 500,000 mostly white Canadian and European undocumented immigrants in the United States today.

And yet, I am constantly inundated with statements that “This is not the America I remember.”

Friends—remember it or not, this is what America has always been. These are not anomalies. This is not a departure from the America that has existed for centuries—this is America. A nation where laws have consistently been designed to oppress, exclude, and disenfranchise those who are not white, not wealthy, and not male. But here’s the important part—it does not have to remain this way.

We Are Not Hopeless

Here’s the truth: We have conquered injustices before, and we can do so again. Plessy v. Ferguson upheld segregation for 58 years before it was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education. The Chinese Exclusion Act lasted for more than 60 years before it was repealed. Japanese Americans won reparations for their forced imprisonment. The Civil Rights Movement dismantled Jim Crow. These victories did not come because America "corrected itself"—they came because people refused to accept injustice as normal.

Today, as white supremacists try to repeal the progress made, we must dig in to protect that progress and advance universal human rights into the next generation.

This is why staying active in local, state, and federal politics is not optional. It is a responsibility. When we ignore voter suppression laws, they spread. When we fail to hold leaders accountable, they abuse their power. When we let injustices persist unchallenged, we allow history to repeat itself. If you’ve followed my podcast published on this very platform (and on YouTube where you should also definitely subscribe), you’ve noticed my increased focus on interviewing state and federal candidates running on people-funded campaigns, against genocide, for universal healthcare, and for economic justice.

The fight for justice is not about nostalgia for a so-called “better” America—it is about forging a new America that has never truly existed, one that upholds equality, dignity, and human rights for all people. We cannot afford to look away. If you are looking for actions to take—I have written in detail seven actions that we can all take, even starting today, to move the call for justice forward.

Conclusion

The injustices we see today are a reminder of the injustices experienced in 1942 and 1923. Understanding this history is critical. If we can recognize the patterns of oppression in our past, we can break the cycle in our present, and ensure a more just future. But only if we act. Only if we refuse to be complacent. Only if we stand united in the fight for justice.

The choice is ours. Let’s continue to work for that more perfect union in our future.

1. https://www.npr.org/2014/11/05/361427276/how-thousands-of-nazis-were-rewarded-with-life-in-the-u-s