Daniel K. Inouye, United States Senator
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Soon after December 7, 1941, Americans of Japanese ancestry were prevented from joining the effort to defend our country, a nation that we love dearly. Instead Japanese Americans were declared to be enemy aliens and unjustly herded into concentration camps in desolate parts of our country. When given the opportunity, Japanese American veterans demonstrated, with much pride and sacrifice, that their courage and patriotism were beyond question, and that Americanism was not a matter of skin color or ethnicity.
The Eugene Japanese American Memorial will be a testament to the strength, honor, and forbearance of Japanese Americans during one of the most challenging periods in U.S. history. Although the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II was shameful, the response of Japanese Americans to that treatment should be a source of pride for all Americans, as should our nation's subsequent apology. The Eugene Japanese American Memorial will also be a source of pride because it will inspire all of to reaffirm our commitment to our country's democratic ideals, and remind us that wartime hysteria must never again lead us to trample on our democratic principles. |
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Peter DeFazio, United States Representative
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As we confront the ominous provisions of the USA Patriot Act and other challenges to civil liberties, this memorial to grave injustice will highlight the ongoing struggle to safeguard freedom for all Americans. While a single memorial cannot tell the complex and painful story of the internment of Japanese Americans, it will let us touch the past and the time our government forced thousands of citizens to sacrifice their freedom to fear, hysteria, and prejudice.
The Eugene Japanese American Memorial Committee's goal to preserve the memory of the Civilian Control Station on West 6th Avenue will highlight a difficult chapter of American history, when citizens were transformed from friends, neighbors, and community members into "people of an enemy race." I share your commitment to the powerful story of America's concentration camps and the men and women who survived internment. |
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Kitty Piercy, Eugene Mayor
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Being a welcoming community for all requires that we honor contributions, remember wrongs and commit to the strength and joy of living well together. This memorial plays an important part in telling about the history of our community, a story of wrongs that were committed and must never be repeated. It also tells the story of people who survived these wrongs, their resiliency and contributions. This history needs to be told and we are proud to have it in the center of our city. We are grateful to those who contributed to it and know that this will remind the people of Eugene for generations to come how hard we must always work to ensure fairness and justice for all.
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Sidney W. Leiken, Springfield Mayor
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The City of Springfield is pleased to support the efforts of members of the Lane County community toward establishing a permanent memorial to those loyal Japanese Americans interned during the Second World War.
It is indeed my hope that through this monument and our education efforts we can continue to honor the commitment of Japanese Americans in our community and remain now and forever as a nation dedicated to the promise of equal justice under the law. As Mayor of the City of Springfield, please accept my thanks, appreciation and support for your efforts at remembering the unique anguish of Japanese Americans in our community during a difficult period of our history. |
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lane arts council
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The Lane Arts Council serves as the fiscal sponsor of the memorial. It administered the fund-raising and construction. The council's support continues to ensure the future of a living historical memorial.
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