Editor’s Note: Now it it’s seventh year, the 2023-24 Katari program was held on January 27-28, 2024, at the Manzanar National Historic Site. Here are one of our student’s thoughts about this year’s program.
Driving up to Lone Pine on Friday night, I thought I knew what Katari weekend would be like. I imagined learning about different incarcerees’ stories, daily camp life, and how these issues persist in today’s current events. However, “learning” just scraped the surface as to what Katari is all about.
Katari is about community, compassion and legacy, in the context of the past, present, and future. This distinction compared to my initial attitude entering the program emphasizes the difference between History and Memory. Memories are undisputed and unlock the feelings behind the moment and movements. History classes can only convey so much in terms of facts and dates, but memories bring to life our ancestors in ways unimagined.
Another takeaway of mine was the complex spectrum of camp experiences. Katari forced me to recognize the anchor bias present in my understanding of incarceration camps. I mistakenly thought my Hi-Baachan and Hi-Jiichan’s experience was similar to everyone else’s because of “objective” things like poor living conditions and privacy. Nonetheless, the Manzanar National Historic Site’s saying of One Camp, 10,000 lives. One Camp, 10,000 Stories couldn’t ring truer. There is nuance in generations, age, and gender that I did not fully appreciate until Katari. For example, the fact that the Loyalty Questionnaire tore apart families is something I did not realize.
Growing up, I embraced cultural values such as not “making waves” and assumed that experiences from camp were responsible for this notion. But engaging with stories of resistance and identity made me understand and appreciate the diversity in Japanese and Japanese American experiences.
There is also diversity in what Manzanar represents. Yes, the land was used for incarceration, but the land also has a long history with the Paiute and Shoshone peoples. Similarly, the story of incarceration has applications beyond Executive Order 9066. Unfortunately, history repeats itself, and it is important to take the lessons of camp and stand as allies to other groups suffering through discrimination. It is vital that we expand our circle beyond Japanese/Japanese American people and invite other groups to participate in the conversation.
Katari has given us the platform and resources to be proactive leaders in our communities. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a well-designed program that unraveled so many emotions ranging from frustration to hope. My Hi-Baachan would be so proud that Katari exists, and I would like to think that she would be proud of me, too.
A native of Cupertino, California, 20-year-old Kelli Kosakura is in her third year at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is studying business economics. She currently serves as one of the Cultural Awareness and Community Service Chairs for the UCLA Nikkei Student Union and also serves on the 2024 Manzanar At Dusk Organizing Committee. She writes from Los Angeles.
LEAD PHOTO: Kelli Kosakura. Photo by Chloe Hera. Used with permission.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and are not necesarily those of the Manzanar Committee.
The 2023-24 Katari program was funded, in part, by a grant from the JA Community Fund, and by a George and Sakaye Aratani CARE Award from the UCLA Asian American Studies Center.
The Manzanar Committee, sponsor of the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage and Manzanar At Dusk program, the youth education project, Katari: Keeping Japanese American Stories Alive, and the Sue Kunitomi Student Awards Program, 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. For more information, check out our web site at https://manzanarcommittee.org, call us at (323) 662-5102, or e-mail us at info@manzanarcommittee.org. You can also follow the Manzanar Committee on Facebook, , on Instagram at @manzanarcommittee, and on YouTube.
Manzanar Committee 
Thank you Katari! Awesome, inciteful observations by Kelli!