More images from the 43rd Manzanar Pilgrimage at the former Manzanar Internment Camp south of Independence, where thousands of Japanese-Americans were held captive during World War II. The efforts of the Manzanar Committee started back in 1969. They worked to raise the profile of what happened to the American citizens of Japanese descent, who finally received some reparations for their captivity and seizure of all their property. This year’s Pilgrimage unfolded on a warm, sunny day with more than 1,000 people joining in, including the UCLA Kodo Taiko drummers and many who simply wanted to feel the place, spend time at the cemetery there and remember what happened. (Photos by Jon Klusmire)
Early in World War II, on February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, granting the U.S. military the power to ban tens of thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry from areas deemed critical to domestic security. Promptly exercising the power so bestowed, the military then issued… Read more »
And the saddest thing is – racism in America still remains.