2014 Manzanar National Historic Site's Day of Remembrance Program NEW

INDEPENDENCE, CA - Early in 1942, federal agents arrested Bill Nishimura's father. Within weeks, Bill and his mother left their Lawndale farm for the Visalia area, believing that Japanese Americans east of Highway 99 would not have to relocate. By August, however, the government ordered the Nishimura's into confinement at Poston Relocation Center on the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona. From there, Bill was sent to Tule Lake, Santa Fe, and Crystal City before his release in 1947.

Bill Nishimura's story is among those highlighted in Silent Voices of World War II: When Sons of the Land of Enchantment Met Sons of the Land of the Rising Sun, co-authored by Nancy Bartlit. Nancy's years of residence and study in Los Alamos, New Mexico, as well as teaching and traveling in Japan, inspired her investigation of cultures and communication. She also served on the committee to mark the site of the Santa Fe Internment Camp.

Nancy Bartlit and Bill Nishimura will present talks in the Visitor Center at Manzanar National Historic Site on Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 10:00 AM (Nancy Bartlit) and 1:30 PM (Bill Nishimura). They will also sign copies of Bartlit's book in the Manzanar History Association book store.

The programs are free and open to the public.

The annual Day of Remembrance observance commemorates the impact of President Franklin Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, which, on February 19, 1942, authorized the forced removal of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans from their homes on the West Coast.

The Manzanar Visitor Center features extensive exhibits, audio-visual programs, and a bookstore. It is open 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM daily. Manzanar is located at 5001 Highway 395, six miles south of Independence, California.

Guest Speakers
10:00 am - Nancy Bartlit
1:30 pm - Bill Nishimura