Wyoming State Rep. John Winter apologized for his use of a racist slur to describe Japanese people before lawmakers visited the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center earlier this week, according to a national news site.
On Tuesday, Winter, chair of the House Agriculture, State and Public Lands Committee, referred to Heart Mountain as “Jap camp,” while informing committee members about what time they had to assemble for the tour.
The Thermopolis Republican’s use of the slur, which Japanese Americans worked to remove from America’s lexicon after World War II because it was used to dehumanize them, drew condemnation from people involved with Heart Mountain. As outrage over the slur grew this week, Winter apologized Thursday in an email to AsAmNews, a news organization that covers issues of importance to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
“The term that I used just slipped out of my mouth as that is what it has always been referred to in my world as a kid,” Winter wrote, according to the nonprofit news site. “I knew better, and I am sorry. I didn’t mean to upset anyone. The Interpretive Center at Heart Mountain has a great program for disseminating information and I learned a lot that day.”
The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation issued a press release Thursday saying its members were “grateful for and accept” Winter’s apology.
“I believe that we are all good people and our goal at the Foundation is to educate one person at a time, if necessary, on what happened at our Heart Mountain site back in 1942,” Shirley Ann Higuchi, chair of the foundation’s board, said in a statement. Higuchi had called Winter’s remarks “unfortunate” and said it had left “a sour taste” in the mouths of those involved in hosting lawmakers to the museum that day.
WyoFile first reported on Winter’s remarks Tuesday. The lawmaker, a member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus who has served in the House since 2019, has not responded to multiple requests from WyoFile, including a voicemail Thursday inquiring about the apology.
In his statement to AsAmNews, Winter echoed the remarks of his Senate cochairman Tim French, R-Powell, who told WyoFile on Tuesday that both men had grown up in the area, which was populated by World War II veterans who received lands previously held by the federal government as part of the internment center after the war. In their youth, people often referred to the facility by that name, particularly veterans still angry about the brutal Pacific front of the war, French said. But he said he personally had learned as he grew up that the slur was not appropriate.
Though Winter said the words “just slipped out of my mouth,” video of the meeting shows him pausing before making the remark. Winter used the slur at the end of the day’s debate over agriculture and public land issues at Northwest Community College in Powell, while reminding his colleagues they’ve been invited to Heart Mountain afterward.
“If you’re gonna go to the,” Winter said, before pausing, “Jap camp, that’s what I call it, we need to leave here by about 12:30,” he said with a chuckle.
Shame, shame, shame on Rep. John Winter for his racist slur regarding the Heart Mountain internment camp. Did he apologize to Director Doug Miyamoto, Wyoming Director of Agriculture? Doug’s grandmother and her entire family were illegally imprisoned at Heart Mountain internment camp! My beloved, Aunt Yoshiko Yashiro-Miyamoto, and her family were removed from their home in Los Angeles illegally because of their Japanese ancestry. Her family ran a grocery store in LA and lost everything!
She met my Uncle Tom Miyamoto and raised their family in Cheyenne! My Dad, Ted Miyamoto, was her brother in law and served in the 442 Regimental Combat unit and received the Bronze Star and posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal for his bravery in WWII. He fought while my Mom and her entire family were incarcerated because of their Japanese ancestry in the Minidoka, Idaho concentration camp!
My Uncle Bill’s wife, Margaret Makino-Miyamoto and her entire family were incarcerated at Amache in Colorado! He also volunteered to serve during WWII! This is what a real patriot does to defend America’s democracy! I was born and raised in Cheyenne and heard this “Jap slur” my entire life! I am 75 now and his excuse that it slipped out is ridiculous! I don’t think he would use that reference in front of Ag Director, Doug Miyamoto. Let’s call it like it is, racism!
Doug’s grandfather, Tom and my Dad’s younger brother, Bill, all volunteered for the Army at the start of WWII! My grandfather, owned the only bar in Cheyenne that would serve people of color. My brother was an officer and flew missions in Vietnam Yes, I know what it feels like to be called Jap even after proving our family’s allegiance to America.
Racism is alive and well in this State Representative! Sad times!
Mr. French: I grew up in the same area, at the same time as you did. I never heard this term. I guess I ran with a different class of people than you did.
Mr. Winter: There are many terms used during your childhood that should not be used today. That it sprang so readily to your mouth says something about your character.
Don’t go by French’s excuse and trying to say “I grew up next to japanese descendants” , go by the body language. He clearly bowed his head to curtail laughing out loud when Winter spit out that slur. Ide and Banks couldn’t seem to hold back a chuckle, though so give French credit for some self control
Tim French, who presided over day two of the meeting had a grand opportunity to address Mr. Winter’s slur, step up to the plate (since Winter wouldn’t), apologize on behalf of the committee and put it to rest. The meeting was being held in French’s back yard yet the FreeDumb Caucus member once again showed he ain’t leadership material. And yes, in viewing the video clip, French appears to be curbing an out loud chuckle when Senator Winter made the slur. Perhaps another committee member should of stepped up and showed some huevos and apologized to the citizens of Wyoming as it’s pretty obvious that French and Winter ain’t quite got it.
Isn’t Powell in Senate District 18 for jiminy sakes?! The hometown of Tim French. He’s often been described by many as a rube, bumpkin and hayseed. His callousness or maybe cowardice from not taking the bull by the horns and addressing the Senator Winter slur during the committee sessions pretty much solidifies the moniker of rube, bumpkin and hayseed for this NonFreedom Caucus element
Thermop’s Winter simply spoke his truth as many in Wyoming do, but usually while in the maga protective bubble. His brazen invoking of the slur at a public venue, about the former internment camp, speaks volumes about how embedded racism is in the maga/freedumb caucus infested State.
David. Racism is embedded in every culture in the world. It is every bit as old as mankind. Japanese people have a word for every non Japanese person. Gaijin is used to describe every non Japanese person. Now that word it’s self in not derogatory. But boils down to context it is used in. Every culture has Racism. You’re kidding your self if you believe only whites are “racist”. He has apologized so move on.
The pause, the slur, and the “that’s what I call it” comment means only one thing. This apology is only to save face and he won’t use at lease that slur in committee meetings anymore. He is still going to continue to use that slur in his privet life. He has learned nothing except to keep the slurs off camara.
Winter is a day or two too late. He should of immediately apologized after the slur or in the least during the next days session, made a statement. Meanwhile, Bob Ide and Dalton Banks, who had a big laugh, should apologize, too. It’s 50/50 on whether hayseed Tim French was truly embarrassed with the downing of his head or trying to squelch a laugh
Naw. French, being the independent rugged individualist that he proclaims to be, had just remembered he needed to run to the bank and cash those supposedly evil agri Subsidy checks that arrived in his mailbox
This guy is an embarrassment to Wyoming and America.
It’s good to hear about this teachable moment for him and maybe for others.
I give John Winter credit for apologizing. The Trump playbook, followed by too many Republicans, is to double down any time your slur is questioned by decent people.
“I knew better, and I am sorry.”
This won’t be good enough for some, many times accepting an apology is as difficult as making one.
Winters took responsibility for his words, too bad others will let partisanship get in the way of closure on this issues.
Just slipped out is not an acceptable thing. I learned as a little child that that was inappropriate. Both my mom and dad
Served in World War II. They explained to us that it wasn’t really the Japanese people’s fault. It was their government’s fault
My brother let something slip one time about the Japanese people and he was grounded for two weeks. He was only 11 years old. Never heard another slur come out of his mouth.
I’m guessing he only apologized because he got called on it
A racist just like his buddy Donald