On August 31, 2010, Rafu Shimpo columnist George Yoshinaga, who has for many years railed against the use of “concentration camp” to describe the camps where Americans of Japanese ancestry and their immigrant parents were imprisoned during World War II, published the text of a letter written by Eunice Sato, former Mayor of the City... Continue Reading →
Connections And Common Bonds Are Key At Manzanar At Dusk Program
LONE PINE, CA AND LOS ANGELES — Thirteen years ago, a group of about forty people, primarily college students, gathered for an evening program at a campground just west of Independence, California, about six miles north of the Manzanar National Historic Site. That evening, they talked about Manzanar and the Japanese American Internment experience, along... Continue Reading →
41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage: Reflecting and Revisiting Living History
by LiAnn Ishizuka When I looked out the car window as we approached the barren landscape of dust and tumbleweeds, I couldn’t help but notice the majesty of the Sierra Nevada backdrop. Snow was sprinkled atop the rocky foundation as if perfectly layering the mountains in a picturesque way—something that could have been taken straight... Continue Reading →
Bill Michael’s Long-Term Commitment To Manzanar Recognized With Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award
MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, NEAR INDEPENDENCE, CA — Starting in 2009, the Los Angeles-based Manzanar Committee, which sponsors the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage and Manzanar At Dusk programs, began honoring individuals with the Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award, named after the late chair of the Manzanar Committee who was one of the founders of the annual... Continue Reading →
41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage: A Letter To Obaa-chan
by Jaymie Takeshita Dear Grandma, Every time I talk to you on the phone, I tell you about all the things I do with the UCLA Nikkei Student Union (NSU), right? I have yet another NSU story for you. Yesterday, a bunch of us from UCLA went on the 41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage. My friends... Continue Reading →
Manzanar Committee Statement On The Passing of Florin JACL Leader Bob Uyeyama
LOS ANGELES — The Manzanar Committee extends its deepest sympathies to the family of Bob Uyeyama, 75, of Elk Grove, California, who passed away on April 24, 2010, while attending the Florin Japanese American Citizens League’s (JACL) trip to the 41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage. Uyeyama, who was imprisoned at the Rohwer and Jerome concentration camps... Continue Reading →
41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage Highlights the Unfinished Business of the Civil Rights Struggle
MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE AND LOS ANGELES — 68 years have passed since Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, sending over 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry and their immigrant parents on the West Coast into American concentration camps during World War II. No charges were filed against... Continue Reading →
Manzanar: “Never Again” Released – Video by Ken Burns: Watch It Here!
UPDATE, AUGUST 23, 2012: Video has been re-encoded and is now viewable on iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad). Manzanar: “Never Again,” a short film by critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, has been released by WETA-TV (Public Television in Washington, D.C.) and Florentine Films. The mini-documentary is one of five such films produced by... Continue Reading →
Tak Yamamoto Receives Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award
MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, NEAR INDEPENDENCE, CA — To most in attendance at the 40th Manzanar Pilgrimage, it was probably just another award, like so many that are handed out at community events. But a closer look at the affable recipient tells a very different story. On April 25, 2009, during the 40th Manzanar Pilgrimage,... Continue Reading →
