99% of the time, history is written by the victors. I find this adage to be very true if one puts in a little effort to peel back the layers of an untold or buried truth.
I never learned about the Japanese Internment camps strewn about the Western United States while in school. It was never part of the history lessons while hearing about World War Two. Looking back now, I find it all shameful.
Pearl Harbor had just been attacked, and out of fear and anger, the US government forced all Japanese American citizens as well as Japanese immigrants out of their homes and communities, and herded them into “Internment camps” throughout the high deserts of The West.
Poston was one such camp, located on the Arizona/California border. A few buildings remain, although they are hard to find. The US has, for the most part, tried to erase all memory of these camps. A memorial now stands as a reminder of what took place at Poston.
“This memorial is dedicated to all the men, women and children who suffered countless hardships and indignities at the hands of a nation misguided by wartime hysteria, racial prejudice and fear. May it serve as a constant reminder of our past so that Americans in the future will never again be denied their constitutional rights…“
Lately our news feeds have been filled with stories about violence against the Asian community in our country. It seems to me that this is not a new event, but a continual saga that has plagued our people for decades. Manazar, probably the most well known Japanese internment camp that I visited back in 2016, is where I first learned about this dark chapter in our history.
I will continue to share these stories, these dark recesses of our past that need to be brought to light.
