Manzanar Should Be A Journey For Everyone

Manzanar Committee member James (Jim) To was the Associate Director for Community Affairs with the Associated Students UCSB and taught the class, Japanese American Internment, 1942-46, at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2004. In this story, he not only writes about the first time he attended the Manzanar Pilgrimage, but also about how he has worked to share the experience with others, especially students.

This story was published on June 7, 2004 and originally appeared in 93106, which is published for the faculty and staff of UCSB. It is reprinted here with permission of the author.

James (Jim) To. Courtesy UCSB Public Affairs Department

A few years ago, a friend at UCLA asked me to participate with him in the Manzanar Pilgrimage, an annual event that recognized the struggle that Americans of Japanese ancestry went through during World War II in the 1940’s. That was a period in which thousands of Japanese Americans were interned at Manzanar and nine other camps in various states.

I was not able to go the first time he asked, but later, when I drove up US 395 on my way to Mammoth for vacation, between the cities of Lone Pine and Independence, I noticed a sign that said “Manzanar Relocation Center.” But I never thought twice about it when driving past the sign. Read more of this post