In response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the forced removal of 125,326 individuals of Japanese ancestry residing on the West Coast. Japanese in Tacoma were assembled at Union Station on May 17 and 18, 1942, for forced removal to government-established prison camps. To commemorate the impact of this event and the lives of those affected, the Washington State History Museum is hosting its eighth annual South Sound Day of Remembrance. It will be held on Thursday, May 18, from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm featuring free admission, programming and activities for guests of all ages.
“The focus of this year’s event is youth, arts, and remembrance,” said Tamiko Nimura, who is a creative nonfiction writer, public historian, and Affiliate Professor of Urban Studies at UW Tacoma. “Though all ages are always welcome, this year we invite the youth of our community to come and create art, and to learn about the art that’s been created by Japanese American descendants of WWII incarcerees as a way to process this painful chapter of our history.”
The museum is currently showcasing two exhibitions that highlight the impact of EO9066. The first exhibition, REMEMBRANCE: The Legacy of Executive Order 9066, is a permanent exhibit that delves into the effects of incarceration on Japanese Americans in Washington state through firsthand accounts and family belongings. The second exhibition, Resilience – A Sansei Sense of Legacy, is a traveling exhibit that runs through July 7 and features eight Sansei (third generation) Japanese American contemporary artists whose work reflects the intergenerational impact of incarceration. This exhibition is a service of Mid-America Arts
Alliance and funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
A variety of creative activities will be available to help visitors connect. One such activity is printing their own “Daruma” poster on a letterpress, provided by our partner, Write 253. Daruma are a prominent symbol of perseverance and luck in Japanese culture. For younger guests, a coloring table will feature Daruma artwork from Washington-based Japanese American artist Marie Okuma Johnston. In addition, volunteers will teach visitors how to fold origami paper cranes and Daruma figures.
Two California-based artists whose work is featured in Resilience, Na Omi Judy Shintani and Reiko Fujii will be in attendance to screen their short documentary about their shared connection to EO9066 Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey. Following the screening, Nimura will lead a question-and-answer session with the artists, providing an opportunity to engage with the artists and learn more about their inspiration and creative process.
As part of the museum’s annual commemoration, Nimura will lead a procession from the museum to Union Station next door. Participants will gather in the REMEMBRANCE exhibit where the first 25 people will receive a complimentary handmade ceramic cup, courtesy of local artist Teruko Nimura. From REMEMBRANCE, participants will proceed to Union Station, the departure site for over 700 people of Japanese ancestry who were forced to board trains headed to prison camps throughout the west. This procession serves as a reminder of Tacoma’s connection to EO9066 and pays tribute to those who were impacted by this event.
The event will conclude with a “Scholarly Selection” lecture presented by UW Tacoma. The lecture will preview the digital exhibition Tacoma Japantown, presented by Nimura and a panel consisting of Technical Lead, Sarah Pyle and Research Assistant, Chris Beyer. This interactive project is dedicated to telling the story of Tacoma’s historic Japantown district, and the community’s vibrant life before its decline in the 1940s. This project features extensive research from Tamiko Nimura, Lisa Hoffman, Mary Hanneman, and Michael Sullivan, making it a valuable historic resource on Japanese communities.
Day of Remembrance Event Schedule:
4:30-7:00 PM Letterpress Daruma posters with Write 253, origami, and coloring table. Explore the exhibits REMEMBRANCE and Resilience.
5:30-6:30 PM Screening of Sansei Granddaughters’ Journey and question and answer session with artists Na Omi Judy Shintani and Reiko Fujii.
6:30-7:00 PM Procession from Washington State History Museum to Union Station led by Tamiko Nimura. Complimentary ceramic cups from local artist Teruko Nimura for the first 25 participants.
7:00-8:00 PM “Scholarly Selection” from UW Tacoma – Preview of digital exhibition Tacoma’s Japantown with panel discussion featuring Tamiko Nimura, Sarah Pyle, and Chris Beyer.
This South Sound Day of Remembrance is sponsored in part by the AAPI Thrive Grant from UW Tacoma. Free admission for this event, and every Third Thursday is courtesy of Umpqua Bank.
For more information about the Washington State Historical Society visit www.WashingtonHistory.org