LOS ANGELES — Upholding Democracy and Constitutional Rights for All: No More Concentration Camps, is the theme for the 52nd Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, which will be held online on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at 12:00 PM. The 2021 Manzanar At Dusk program will also be held online in the hours following the 52nd Annual Manzanar... Continue Reading →
Manzanar Committee Mourns the Passing of Rose Ochi
LOS ANGELES — The Manzanar Committee mourns the passing of former Manzanar Committee member Takayo Rose Matsui Ochi on December 13, just two days before she would have turned 82 years old. Ochi, a native of East Los Angeles, was three years old when she, along with her parents and three siblings, were among over... Continue Reading →
Manzanar Committee Lauds Selection of Rep. Debra Haaland As Nominee for Secretary of the Interior
The following is an official statement by the Manzanar Committee. LOS ANGELES — President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Representative Debra Haaland (D-New Mexico) to serve as the next Secretary of the Interior. The Japanese American community, especially all of us who are actively working to keep the story of “camp” and the forced removal alive,... Continue Reading →
Arnold Maeda Manzanar Pilgrimage Grant Available for College Students
LOS ANGELES — On November 1, the Manzanar Committee and the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument (VJAMM) Committee announced that the First Annual Arnold Maeda Manzanar Pilgrimage Grant is now available. Two college students will be selected to work with the Manzanar Committee to help plan and produce the 52nd Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, to be... Continue Reading →
Building the Future Through the Student Awards Program
The Manzanar Committee Student Awards Program recognizes students who demonstrate an understanding of the guiding principles of civil rights and social justice through their projects. We are proud to announce the winners of our Fifth Annual Student Awards Program. We particularly want to commend all our student participants, their families, and their hard-working teachers for... Continue Reading →
Voting is a Right in a Democracy
Voting Rights: A Cornerstone of Our Democracy Voting is central to our democracy. The ability to have a voice in choosing who represents us, who makes decisions that impact our lives, our families, and communities, is a cornerstone of our democracy. Voting is key to the realization of the promise of the Constitution of the... Continue Reading →
Passing Judgment: From The Manzanar Free Press, August 26, 1942
The following is being reprinted from the August 26, 1942 edition of the Manzanar Free Press (camp newspaper). The sending of over two thousand absentee ballots to Japanese evacuee citizens in assembly and relocation centers has brought divergent views, mostly critical, in the metropolitan newspapers of Los Angeles. The majority of the people interviewed by... Continue Reading →
Who Belongs and Who Doesn’t?
The following was originally published in the printed program for the 49th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, April 28, 2018. by Jim Matsuoka In 1942, we were thought to be unassimilable and a threat to American society. Time and historical fact has shown otherwise, but we know the consequences of being seen as a statistical mass of... Continue Reading →
The Great Unknown & the Unknown Great: African American Attorney Was Defender of Japanese Americans During World War II
The following was published in the printed program for the 44th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage (2013). It was reprinted from the article, “The Great Unknown & the Unknown Great: African American Attorney was Defender of Japanese Americans During World War II,” Nichi Bei Times Weekly, June 7, 2007. by Greg Robinson Hugh MacBeth, Sr. (pictured above),... Continue Reading →