Tacoma Japanese American Day of Remembrance

Background: On May 17 and 18, 1942–on the authorization of President Franklin Roosevelt and the signing of Executive Order 9066–over 700 Japanese Americans were forcibly evacuated from Tacoma’s Union Station and sent to Pinedale Assembly Center near Fresno, California. Though a small fraction of the population returned to Tacoma, the city’s once-thriving Japantown never returned to its prewar vitality.

Each year, Japanese American Days of Remembrance are held around the nation to commemorate the anniversary of this unjust and unconstitutional mass incarceration. This year will mark Tacoma’s third Day of Remembrance in recent memory.

We are grateful to our co-host institution, the Washington State History Museum, as well our sponsoring organizations: Puyallup Valley JACL, Seattle JACL, the Tacoma Historical Society, and the Children’s Museum of Tacoma.

Date: Thursday, May 17, 2018
Location: Washington State History Museum
4-7PM
FREE, kid-friendly

Event Schedule

4:00: Welcome and opening remarks by Tamiko Nimura, event organizer
4:30: Japanese folk song sing-along with Megumi Azekawa, music therapist
5:30: Tacoma Fuji Taiko, resident group with the Tacoma Buddhist Temple
6:00: Q&A with Professors Lisa Hoffman and Mary Hanneman of the Japanese Language School Oral History Project, UW Tacoma. Presentation on mapping Tacoma’s Japantown by Sarah Pyle, Urban Studies, UW Tacoma.
6:30: Memory procession from the History Museum to Union Station, minute of silence for those departed, remarks by local historian Michael Sullivan

Ongoing through the afternoon:

* Pop-up historic photo exhibit on “Tacoma’s Japantown: Then and Now” at the History Museum
* Origami crane display by 3 historically Japanese American Methodist congregations:  Blaine Memorial Church in Seattle, Highland Park in Spokane, and the Whitney Memorial UMC (formerly of Tacoma/Puyallup)
* Public craft activity in the museum lobby: creating a memorial sculpture with origami paper, luggage tags and bamboo

At the Children’s Museum of Tacoma from May 2-17, a craft activity will be set up in “Becka’s Studio” for people to fold an origami paper lantern or crane which will be displayed at the History Museum on the Day of Remembrance.