Ken Burns
Photo: PBS
Manzanar: “Never Again” was shown at a preview screening at the Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum of Lone Pine Film History in Lone Pine, California on April 24, 2009. It was also screened at the Manzanar At Dusk program on April 25, 2009, following the 40th Manzanar Pilgrimage, held earlier that day at the Manzanar National Historic Site.
The mini-documentary looks at the interconnected stories of Japanese American internment during World War II, former Manzanar Committee Chair Sue Kunitomi Embrey’s efforts to commemorate the Manzanar concentration camp, and the ongoing work of Manzanar National Historic Site to educate visitors about civil rights. At the heart of the of the film is the site’s annual Pilgrimage and the words of Sue Embrey, who speaks movingly about protecting all citizens’ rights, especially in times of national crisis.
The Manzanar Committee would like to express our thanks to Susan Shumaker, one of the writers and producers of the film, and Ann Harrington at WETA for their support of our education and outreach efforts, part of which is making it available right here for you to watch:
© 2009, WETA. Used with permission. For documentation of WETA granting permission to the Manzanar Committee to stream this video here on our blog, click here.
May 23, 2009 at 8:01 AM
Heartfelt thanks to Ken Burns and all involved in the making of this magnificient video. I will share it far and wide.
–Susanne La Faver, great niece of Margaret D’Ille, Director of Social Welfare at Manzanar.
September 24, 2009 at 8:03 PM
Manzanar, Tule Lake, Tanforan….and so many other internment camps that stain the fabric of the United States, the Bill of Rights, and Due Proces….We need much much more than 15 minutes. Hopefully this is just a start…
September 25, 2009 at 11:09 AM
[...] Manzanar: “Never Again” Released – Video by Ken Burns Manzanar: “Never Again,” a short film by critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, has been released by WETA-TV (Public Television in Washington, DC) and Florentine Films. The mini-documentary is one of five such films produced by WETA and Florentine Films as part of their Untold Stories project. [see video here] [...]
September 25, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Great video clip. Not too many people, still, don’t know about what happened. If people like Michele Bachmann would put more effort in fighting for peoples civil rights, instead of creating drama around the US Census, things like this wouldn’t happen. As it is, those same people are working to take civil rights away from American citizens. My grandfather came home to an anvil, I guess it was to heavy for people to take.
October 31, 2009 at 12:05 PM
I was in Tule Lake and, later, Heart Mtn. as a young teenager and I must say that this is one of the better documentaries on camplife. I am going to forward this to all of our children plus friends, as I think it depicts what happened those many years ago. I especially liked what the Park Department had to say. Thank you.
November 1, 2009 at 10:23 AM
I have visited the Camp sight in September 2007.
I was deeply touched and felt so bad for the evacuees who left their precious belongings and to go into the unknown future. I am very proud of them to have endured such hardships.
A very good documentary!
November 4, 2009 at 2:02 AM
Terrific video clip. I visited Manzanar in the late ’60s, before the monument. There was nothing there except cracked dishes with Japanese design. It reminded me to the “cracked” lives of these brave people. It was very moving. I am what I am because of their sacrifices..
November 4, 2009 at 3:48 AM
Just as an FYI, the cemetery monument, if that’s the monument you were referring to, was built by the prisoners during their time at Manzanar. It was dedicated in August, 1943.
November 6, 2009 at 12:34 AM
Great film. I was born in Manzanar. Most people ask me “where is that?” Everyone should see this.
December 10, 2009 at 9:03 PM
We went to the Honorary degree ceremony at UCSF for the folks who couldn’t finish their UC educations because of our ”camp” experience. The Dean of one of the UCSF professional schools told me that he had no idea of what had happened in 1942. That’s why this film, the ceremony we attended and all the other efforts to keep our fellow citizens aware of what happens when hate and greed are allowed to prevail and national leadership seeks political gains.
December 10, 2009 at 9:04 PM
What do you want me to moderate? What I said is true. You want to rewrite history?
December 10, 2009 at 9:10 PM
Don…thank you for your comments. To clarify, all comments posted must be approved by the moderator/blog editor (yours truly) before they are published here. We do that to prevent spam from appearing here. We have automatic spam filters, but they aren’t perfect.
December 11, 2009 at 3:06 PM
A very well put piece about our camp experience! How well I remember the spring of ’42 when we boarded the SP buses for the long trip to Manzanar!
I recall very well how hard the east wind was blowing and the sand and dust coming up through the floor boards!
Although I was only 8 years old, I still remember many things about Manzanar! I even recall that we housed in 24-1-4.
Have not been back to the area since we left for Utah in ’44, but I do want to see the exhibits that I have told about!
December 11, 2009 at 4:46 PM
relocation center=concentration camp
camp=prision
detainees=prisoners
call it as it was
I was very young, but it still pisses me off.
April 3, 2010 at 9:35 AM
In 1986, when I was a sophomore in high school, my social studies teacher vehemently corrected my use of the word “concentration” when paired with “camp” in my paper describing my parents’ and grandparents’ experience in the Rohwer, Arkansas concentration camp. He said that I was wrong for using the word “concentration” and that the more accurate description should have been either internment or relocation camp. Although I don’t remember the score he gave my paper, I will not forget the anger in his voice as he spoke to me.
April 3, 2010 at 12:23 PM
What are your thoughts about the terminology used now that you’re older and wiser?
April 3, 2010 at 1:32 PM
I’m on the same page as Sam Ishida.
December 30, 2009 at 6:13 PM
Dec. 16, 2009, I am 88 years old. I was at Pomona Assembly Cemter and Heart Mt. I knew Sue quite well, attended the first few Manzanar Pilgrimage but now I am too old to go.
So glad Sue is remembered for her so many years of dedication to her cause, she worked the committee out of her own home.
I’ve read many of the books on what happened but what has not been told was at Ht. Mt., nightly, we would sit at the latrine to the wee hours, discussing what is happening to us. Our only source of information is the untrue accusations of how evil we are, all the bad things we did, etc. in the papers and the rumors that always gets around. That might have resulted in the resisters. I believe they played an important part to the history of this as someone did challenge the government that this is wrong and did so knowing they will be sent to prison for two years.
I was there with them. Never was in Japan, never were out of Southern California, graduated High School, but we are here in a concentration camp. Just did not make sense. So glad the next generation accomplished so much.
Thanks to all who are rewriting history with truth.
December 30, 2009 at 6:20 PM
Toyoo…thank you for posting your comment!
December 31, 2009 at 9:23 AM
A fitting post-script is the book Day of Deceit.
March 5, 2010 at 5:45 AM
[...] This post was Twitted by RestoreCivilRts [...]
March 7, 2010 at 4:08 PM
It is very hard for me to understand how we could do this to US citizens. Why didn’t we round up all the Germans and Italians? So I guess it goes to say that our government discriminated against the Japanese citizens of the USA. Sad, very sad. By the way great film.
March 7, 2010 at 10:40 PM
This documentation filled me with so many emotions – anger, frustration, indignation, deep sadness and yes, even pride – pride at the resilience of our Japanese/Americans.
Anger, frustration and indignation at the mere $20,000 to each person – a PITTANCE compared to the TRILLIONS of $$ we STILL spend on the South Pacific Islands trying to make up for our H-Bomb Bikini Island boo-boo…
HOW DARE!! Does America think this is at all fair?? These people in the prison “camps” were/are American citizens…and in spite of all this the 442nd was created and our American Japanese went on to become the most highly decorated unit of all during WW2.
My grandparents house was BULLDOZED on Maui because they had a Buddhist shrine – honoring their parents!
And they were accused of planting their vegetables in a manner that would be a “message to the Japan pilots”…my grandfather had documents signed by the then Emperor of Japan saying that his children were not Japan citizens to try to protect them from harm.
My tears from watching this film were for my ancestors and the humiliating and undeserved treatment they suffered at the hands of their own country – America!
War does strange and often horrid things to the human mind….most of the bad things are born from fear. Yes, may we never forget – so that it does not happen ever again.
Thank you for this!
March 7, 2010 at 10:45 PM
As frustrated that I am at the unfair, hurtful and undeserved treatment the US chose to impose upon their own American people during WW2, I need to make it very clear that I would not move to another country – ever. I’ve had the privilege of living is several different countries and though I do not agree with all the laws and rules and regs that America imposes on us as citizens, American is still the very best country in the world.
March 11, 2010 at 10:02 AM
I am married to a Japanese American man. My parents, Caucasian mother-Hawaiian father lived in California during the war. My father was a merchant marine at the time. My parents were very unique and were called communists because they wanted the girls in our school to have the same opportunities as the boys. Knowing this, I asked them why they went along with the internment of the Japanese people. My mother told me that the government said that it would be safer for her children and for the Japanese people to be “protected”. My point, even the well educated “left leaning people” of that era got duped by the media and government of that time period. We mustn’t be duped again about any race or religion.
March 11, 2010 at 1:14 PM
In regards to the above comment, my husband was interned as an infant with his three year old sister (what a threat they must have been) and their parents.
March 30, 2010 at 6:51 PM
The story of Sue Kumitomi should be produced in a film documentary for young people to learn what one person can accomplish. I knew Sue and she was the engine of the Manzanar movement that opened doors to all other camps for historical information. I attended her early pilmgrimage that people came in charter buses from universities. Hope Sue will get the support and recognition that she deserves.
Sue’s narration was similar to my experience so I relived it as I read it. I did not tell my son’s about it as I thought it might be negative influence to their life.
April 6, 2010 at 2:45 PM
When I was languishing on a cot with a straw matress, I was troubled and puzzled. I learned that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights guaranteed my civil rights. What am I doing here in a Concenration camp? Even after 65+ years, whenever I see the words Constitution or Bill of Rights I think of concentration camps. The two always go together in my memory.
Every morning in home room we had to recite the Pledge of Allegiance while saluting it with outstretched right arm. When we got to “…with liberty and justice for all.” I used to mumble “with liberty and justice for some.” I said “some” softly so no one would report me to the FBI. I was fearful of the FBI because they made thousands of people disappear and I didn’t want to disappear.
April 7, 2010 at 12:22 PM
Wow! its amazing how ALL of this is excluded from US History books!
April 16, 2010 at 6:13 PM
Great documentary. I think we are fortunate to live in a country where such can be made, and where such things are seen as a mistake. I want to mention that Italian-Americans and German-Americans were also cracked down on, though nowhere near as much as Japanese-Americans. Most of that happened in California, though German-Americans in central Texas are still angry about the loss of their schools (those few who are old enough to remember and still alive). German-American communities were vibrant before the war, you’ll find few traces of them today.