Press Release 4/22/02

Press Release: April 22, 2002

33rd Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage Program Lineup

Los Angeles – The 60th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066, honoring Heart Mountain and Rohwer Internees and solidarity with Muslims and American Arabs will be featured at the 33rd Annual pilgrimage to Manzanar on Saturday, April 27, 2002.

The Manzanar Committee announced that the program begins at noon. The Committee invites former internees and their families from Heart Mountain, Wyoming and Rohwer, Arkansas camps to attend this year’s pilgrimage. Marjorie Matsushita Sperling from Heart Mountain and Rose Ochi, representing the Rohwer Reunion Committee will speak at the daytime pilgrimage.

"We hope that former internees from Heart Mountain and Rohwer will bring their Sansei, Yonsei or Gosei kids and grandkids to visit Manzanar, so that they can see for themselves what the conditions were like. The barbed wire and the desolateness of the desert were real, not just some forgotten old history," said Jenni Emiko Kuida from the Manzanar Committee.

This year’s pilgrimage will present the performance poetry of Zero 3. The trio of will perform a spoken word piece focusing on their observations of the media-fueled frenzy after the September 11th attacks. Zero 3 is made up of Kennedy Kabasares, Traci Kato-Kiriyama and Edren Sumagaysay.

The trio debuted in April 2000 at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center’s Fresh Tracks series in Little Tokyo. Since then, Zero 3 has performed at the Vogue Theatre, Natural History Museum, Highways Performance Space and Bindlestiff Studio. They also performed at the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress Day of Remembrance Program in February.

Sam Hakim, of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) will represent the Muslim and Arab communities. MPAC is a public service agency working for the civil rights of American Muslims. Their aim is to achieve positive relationships with other groups to promote values shared with Islam, based on ethical principles, justice and equality.

"If we have learned anything from the World War II experience of Japanese Americans, it is that we need to show solidarity and support with Muslims and American Arabs now, more than ever. We can see that targeting, scapegoating, and hate crimes against Muslims, Arabs and South Asians after September 11th, and the indiscriminate rounding up of people is the same thing that happened to the Issei," said Kuida.

Keynote speaker for this year’s pilgrimage is Taro O’Sullivan. Speaking on the theme of "No More Manzanars," O’Sullivan was the first executive director for the State Commission on Asian Affairs in Oregon, and has extensive experience in diversity training. O’Sullivan served as a facilitator for a "Dialogue for Peace" event between the Japanese American Citizens League, American Muslim Alliance and American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee at the Oregon Buddhist Temple in Portland in October 2001.

"Manzanar serves as a bitter reminder of a betrayal of trust. Manzanar symbolizes a time, not so long ago, when people turned on neighbors out of racism, hatred and fear. Manzanar, is where we must all go," said O’Sullivan recently.

The Interfaith Memorial Service and flower offering at the cemetery will be held following the program, sponsored by the Nikkei Interfaith Coalition, and organized by Reverend Paul Nakamura of Lutheran Oriental Church in Torrance.

The pilgrimage will conclude with the traditional dancing of the Tanko Bushi. This year’s pilgrimage is dedicated to Grace Harada, who passed away earlier this year. As the Committee’s Ondo Instructor for over three decades, "Grace epitomized the heart and soul of the pilgrimage. We will continue the tradition in her memory," remarked Sue Kunitomi Embrey, the Manzanar Committee chair.

On Saturday evening at 6:30 pm, Education in Action, students from City College of San Francisco and the Manzanar Committee will co-sponsor "Manzanar After Dark" at the American Legion Hall (at Highway 395 and Kearsage Street) in Independence. The program will include poetry and spoken word, plus student-facilitated small group discussions making connections between WWII and the present day political climate.

The Manzanar National Historic Site is located approximately 200 miles north of Los Angeles, between Lone Pine and Independence on Highway 395, and was the site of a World War II internment camp where 10,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated for the duration of the war.

The Manzanar Committee reminds participants to bring their own food and snacks. As the weather is always unpredictable, layered clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses and hats are strongly recommended. Special limited run 60th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066 t-shirts will be available at the pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage and Manzanar After Dark are free and open to the public, although donations are gladly accepted. For more information, contact Sue Embrey at (323) 662-5102, email SueKE@msn.com or www.manzanarcommittee.org.