PILGRIMAGE: Bus transportation from Los Angeles also announced.
LOS ANGELES — Watashi wa Manzanar: Continuing Our Civil Rights Legacy is the theme for the 46th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, sponsored by the Manzanar Committee, scheduled for 12:00 PM PDT on Saturday, April 25, 2015, at the Manzanar National Historic Site, located on U.S. Highway 395 in California’s Owens Valley, between the towns of Lone Pine and Independence, approximately 230 miles north of Los Angeles (see map below).
Watashi wa (pronounced “wah-tah-she wah”) is Japanese for “I am.”
Each year, more than 1,000 people from all walks of life attend the Pilgrimage, including students, teachers, community members, clergy and former incarcerees. Planning is underway for the afternoon event as well as for the Manzanar At Dusk program, scheduled from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM that same evening at Lone Pine High School, located at 538 South Main Street (U.S. Highway 395), in Lone Pine, nine miles south of the Manzanar National Historic Site, across the street from McDonald’s (see map below).
Manzanar At Dusk is co-sponsored by the Nikkei Student Unions at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California State University, Long Beach, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, San Diego.
Through a creative presentation, small group discussions and an open mic session, Manzanar At Dusk participants will have the opportunity to learn about the experiences of those incarcerated in the camps. Participants will also be able to interact with former incarcerees in attendance to hear their personal stories, to share their own experiences, and discuss the relevance of the concentration camp experience to present-day events and issues.
The Manzanar Committee has also announced that bus transportation to the Pilgrimage from Downtown Los Angeles is available.
The bus will depart at 7:00 AM, arriving at the Pilgrimage at approximately 11:30 AM, and will also take participants to the Interpretive Center at the Manzanar National Historic Site following the afternoon program. The bus should arrive back in Los Angeles at approximately 8:30 PM.
Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The non-refundable fare is $40.00 per seat, $20.00 for students and seniors. Complimentary fares are available for those who were incarcerated at any of the former American concentration camps or other confinement sites during World War II.
Anyone wishing to attend the Manzanar At Dusk program that evening should make other transportation arrangements.
Pilgrimage participants are advised to bring their own lunch, drinks and snacks, as there are no facilities to purchase food at the Manzanar National Historic Site (restaurants and fast food outlets are located in Lone Pine and Independence, which are nearby). Water will be provided at the site.
Further details about the Pilgrimage and the Manzanar At Dusk program will be announced at a later date.
Both the Manzanar Pilgrimage and the Manzanar At Dusk programs are free and are open to the public. For more information, or to reserve a seat on the bus, call (323) 662-5102 or send e-mail to 46thpilgrimage@manzanarcommittee.org.
The Manzanar Committee is dedicated to educating and raising public awareness about the incarceration and violation of civil rights of persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II and to the continuing struggle of all peoples when Constitutional rights are in danger. A non-profit organization that has sponsored the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage since 1969, along with other educational programs, the Manzanar Committee has also played a key role in the establishment and continued development of the Manzanar National Historic Site. You can also follow the Manzanar Commitee on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
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LEAD PHOTO: Banners representing each of the ten World War II American concentration camps, along with the Crystal City Internment Camp and the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team/Military Intelligence Service, part of the traditional “Roll Call of the Camps,” during the 45th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, April 26, 2014. Photo: Gann Matsuda/Manzanar Committee.
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