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 from a promotional Mammoth tourism leaflet.
LiAnn Ishizuka (left) with Jaymie Takeshita (right) at the Manzanar cemetery during the 41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage on April 24, 2010.
Photo: LiAnn Ishizuka
Mother Nature’s beauty was overwhelming.
We continued to drive until I saw it. In the distance, a hanging placard was at the entrance of the Manzanar site. At a closer glance, the words, “Manzanar War Relocation Center” were carved into the wood. It was the entrance to a place that was once Native American land but became an internment camp, and now a place of living history.
Just seeing that placard flooded my mind with a sense of what once was. The barracks were not there, but I could visualize them and I could feel the dust and constant heat that must have haunted the memories of many former internees.
My own grandmother, who rarely spoke about her concentration camp experience in Poston, Arizona, would remind me how the heat was unbearable. Even though Manzanar was not a place that had displaced my own family, it represented and still represents something that remains to be fully understood by those who have not visited. Read more of this post
Reflections On Manzanar At Dusk 2010
July 28, 2010 Leave a Comment
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by James To
Draft resister Bill Nishimura during a small group discussion at the 2010 Manzanar At Dusk program, April 24, 2010.
Photo: Gann Matsuda
From my perspective, the 41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage on April 24, 2010, had a different impact on the mood of the people this year. I am not sure if it was the weather or the people, it certainly had a different feel for the day. I am grateful that draft resisters Takashi Hoshizaki and Bill Nishimura were our speakers at the Manzanar At Dusk 2010 program and that Tak was our speaker earlier in the day at the Pilgrimage.
As we prepared for the day’s event, there was the concern on how many people would come and did we have enough water. I guess a better question would be did we provide a good atmosphere for people to share their experience or for students to ask, “why I am here” or an even better question, “why did they send 10,000 people to the middle of the desert?” Read more of this post
Filed under Commentary, Manzanar At Dusk Tagged with 41st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, Bill Nishimura, James To, Jim To, Lone Pine, Lone Pine High School, Manzanar, Manzanar At Dusk, Manzanar Pilgrimage, Tak Hoshizaki, Takashi Hoshizaki