LOS ANGELES — On May 8, President Bush signed into law Senate Bill 2739, the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, which expanded the boundaries of the Minidoka Internment National Monument to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial commemorating the Japanese Americans of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who were the first to be forcibly removed from their homes and imprisoned in American concentration camps during World War II.
“We were very pleased to hear the news that President Bush signed this bill,” said Bruce Embrey, Co-Chair of the Los Angeles-based Manzanar Committee. “We support all efforts to enhance and expand all of the sites related to the unjust imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II, so this is welcome news.”
“We congratulate and thank the Friends of Mindoka, the Bainbridge Island Memorial Committee, the Japanese American Citizens League and other groups and individuals for working so hard to make this happen,” added Embrey. “We also thank the members of Congress, especially those from Idaho and the state of Washington, who played key roles in the passage of this legislation.”
The Manzanar Committee is a non-profit organization that has sponsored the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage since 1969, along with other educational programs, and has played a key role in the establishment and continued development of the Manzanar National Historic Site. For more information, check their web site at https://manzanarcommittee.org
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LEAD PHOTO: This is the remainder of the Minidoka concentration camp, which was located in the wastelands of Idaho. As of August 1997, when this photo was taken, the area was used for agriculture. A few structures as well as several monuments mark the site of the camp’s 1942 location. Photo: Sheri Nakashima courtesy Densho.org.
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