Genesis of the Memorial
For the initial spark for a memorial in Eugene click here.
The Eugene Japanese American Memorial Committee has been galvanized and energized by the idea of publicly and collectively remembering and learning from a sad chapter of American history that should not have happened, but did happen. We feel it our duty to establish a public reminder of the experience, so that knowledge of the story will be kept alive for future generations of Americans. Other peoples newly arriving in our country are often subjected to the same kinds of racism and unwarranted suspicion that afflicted the Japanese immigrants, and as citizens we must all be alert to protecting such new Americans from unjust deprivation of their civil rights.
In Eugene there are a number of former internees who have lived and coped with the concentration camp experience all their lives. They come from a variety of backgrounds but share a common bond with those who assembled in 1942 to board the prison train very near the point where the memorial stands. Its site, on the corner of the Hult Center grounds, lends a historical significance to the hub of culture in Eugene, and placement of the memorial there assures that it is seen by the great number and variety of people who come to this hub on a continual basis.
An educational program to tell the story of racism, unjust incarceration, and the achievements of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service and many other aspects of the internment experience is available upon request... The Nisei, who expressed their patriotism in innumerable ways, joined all Americans, regardless of race or creed, to defend our liberties. They honor this history by supporting other groups who become targets at times when the US feels threatened—most recently the Moslem and Arab communities in America, still under scrutiny since the World Trade Tower attack September 11, 2001.
To read more about Japanese American student relocation click here.
The Eugene Japanese American Memorial Committee has been galvanized and energized by the idea of publicly and collectively remembering and learning from a sad chapter of American history that should not have happened, but did happen. We feel it our duty to establish a public reminder of the experience, so that knowledge of the story will be kept alive for future generations of Americans. Other peoples newly arriving in our country are often subjected to the same kinds of racism and unwarranted suspicion that afflicted the Japanese immigrants, and as citizens we must all be alert to protecting such new Americans from unjust deprivation of their civil rights.
In Eugene there are a number of former internees who have lived and coped with the concentration camp experience all their lives. They come from a variety of backgrounds but share a common bond with those who assembled in 1942 to board the prison train very near the point where the memorial stands. Its site, on the corner of the Hult Center grounds, lends a historical significance to the hub of culture in Eugene, and placement of the memorial there assures that it is seen by the great number and variety of people who come to this hub on a continual basis.
An educational program to tell the story of racism, unjust incarceration, and the achievements of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service and many other aspects of the internment experience is available upon request... The Nisei, who expressed their patriotism in innumerable ways, joined all Americans, regardless of race or creed, to defend our liberties. They honor this history by supporting other groups who become targets at times when the US feels threatened—most recently the Moslem and Arab communities in America, still under scrutiny since the World Trade Tower attack September 11, 2001.
To read more about Japanese American student relocation click here.
Inspiration • The Issei
With hope, fortitude and great effort, the Issei immigrants helped build America. They arrived around the turn of the Twentieth Century. They were farmers, miners, merchants, craftsmen, fishermen, loggers and railroad workers, who lived mainly on the West Coast. Their contributions parrallel those of the other immigrants who built our nation. Their outstanding characteristic was Gaman, or perseverance.
Realization of the Memorial
The Eugene Japanese American Memorial committee (EJAM), a diverse volunteer group of local citizens working in partnership with the City of Eugene, the Eugene Parks Foundation, and the Lane Arts Council, has so far raised over $108,000 to create a permanent public art memorial and civil rights teaching site on the grounds of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Eugene. We profusely thank the Spirit Mountain Community Fund for its $50,000 challenge grant, offered a year ago, for which we have now met the $50,000 matching challenge. Without this crucial funding from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund we would not have been able to create our art memorial, but its completion is now assured. The Spirit Mountain challenge grant kick-started the fundraising process and encouraged many other organizations and private individuals to contribute generously as well. With this key goal reached, we intend to continue fundraising, to provide additional support for ongoing educational programs built around the memorial.
The spot designated for the memorial is adjacent to the site of the civil control station (Image) where Western Oregon Japanese Americans were ordered to register (Image) for subsequent deportation to a military prison camp in northern California (Tule Lake) and south central Idaho (Minadoka). In all, some 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans were interned during World War II, out of fear that they would collaborate with Imperial Japan against the United States. The memorial will be a poignant artistic and historical reminder of what happened when racist prejudices and misconceptions ran rampant in the 1940s, and a reminder that we all must constanfly guard against such unjust and unconstitutional deprivation of people’s civil rights from ever happening again. Artist David Clemons, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has sculpted a small girl waiting for the train that will take her and her family to a wartime concentration camp. Artist Kenge Kobayashi, Eugene, Oregon, who was interned at Tule Lake camp in northern California with his family, has depicted the concepts of Justice, Perseverance, and Honor, which speak to this historical Japanese American experience, in three bronze panels that will be embedded in stone monuments.
Some 450,000 people yearly attend events held at or near the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, the site of the art memorial, which is titled "Forced Journey." Eugene Day of Remembrance Committee members will continue to give talks in the community, using the art memorial as a permanent reminder of a sorrowful part of history that should never be repeated. We will work with area schools in developing curriculum on unjust and hurtful racial discrimination, including the Japanese American experience as well as many other examples which can be cited.
The spot designated for the memorial is adjacent to the site of the civil control station (Image) where Western Oregon Japanese Americans were ordered to register (Image) for subsequent deportation to a military prison camp in northern California (Tule Lake) and south central Idaho (Minadoka). In all, some 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans were interned during World War II, out of fear that they would collaborate with Imperial Japan against the United States. The memorial will be a poignant artistic and historical reminder of what happened when racist prejudices and misconceptions ran rampant in the 1940s, and a reminder that we all must constanfly guard against such unjust and unconstitutional deprivation of people’s civil rights from ever happening again. Artist David Clemons, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has sculpted a small girl waiting for the train that will take her and her family to a wartime concentration camp. Artist Kenge Kobayashi, Eugene, Oregon, who was interned at Tule Lake camp in northern California with his family, has depicted the concepts of Justice, Perseverance, and Honor, which speak to this historical Japanese American experience, in three bronze panels that will be embedded in stone monuments.
Some 450,000 people yearly attend events held at or near the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, the site of the art memorial, which is titled "Forced Journey." Eugene Day of Remembrance Committee members will continue to give talks in the community, using the art memorial as a permanent reminder of a sorrowful part of history that should never be repeated. We will work with area schools in developing curriculum on unjust and hurtful racial discrimination, including the Japanese American experience as well as many other examples which can be cited.