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| Amache Preservation Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Amache Preservation Society |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Purpose | Historic preservation, cultural heritage |
| Headquarters | Granada, Colorado |
| Region served | United States |
Amache Preservation Society is a civic organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the site of the Granada Relocation Center, commonly known as Amache, a World War II-era Japanese American incarceration site in southeastern Colorado. The Society collaborates with federal, state, tribal, and local institutions to protect archaeological remains, advocate for commemorative designations, and provide educational programming. Through partnerships with museums, universities, and heritage agencies, the group has advanced preservation projects, oral history initiatives, and public exhibitions.
The Society emerged in the wake of increased attention to wartime incarceration following the publication of works by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Miné Okubo, and scholarship associated with University of Colorado Boulder and Stanford University. Local grassroots activism in Prowers County, Colorado and the nearby town of Granada, Colorado coalesced with efforts by national organizations such as National Park Service consultants and the Japanese American Citizens League to document the Granada Relocation Center. Influenced by inquiries into Executive Order 9066 and legal precedents involving Korematsu v. United States, the Society formalized its activities to pursue preservation goals, collaborate with the Colorado Historical Society, and engage with academic partners including University of Denver and Colorado State University.
The Society's mission aligns with initiatives by heritage organizations like National Trust for Historic Preservation and archives such as the Densho Project. Core activities encompass site stewardship, archaeological survey coordination with agencies like the National Park Service, curation of artifacts with repositories including the Smithsonian Institution, and facilitation of survivor testimony in collaboration with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The group organizes conferences with participants from institutions such as Japanese American National Museum, Columbia University, and California State University, Los Angeles to situate Amache within broader narratives of 20th-century civil liberties debates exemplified by cases like Hirabayashi v. United States.
Preservation work follows best practices established by Secretary of the Interior standards and involves fieldwork coordinated with the State Historic Preservation Office (Colorado), archaeologists from University of Kansas, and conservation specialists associated with Getty Conservation Institute. The Society has overseen stabilizing structures, mapping foundations, and protecting artifacts against looting, drawing technical assistance from Archaeological Institute of America and grants comparable to those from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Restoration projects have included interpretive signage designed with input from National Park Service historians and consultation with descendant communities represented by organizations such as the Japanese American Council for Justice.
Educational initiatives mirror programs by institutions like Smithsonian National Museum of American History and involve school curricula developed in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, university courses at University of Colorado Denver, and teacher workshops inspired by pedagogical models from Facing History and Ourselves. Public outreach has included exhibitions co-curated with the Japanese American National Museum, film screenings referencing works by directors like Rea Tajiri and Kayo Hatta, and oral history projects featuring interviews archived at the Densho Project and the Library of Congress. The Society also hosts annual commemorations that attract speakers from Civil Liberties Public Education Fund and scholars associated with Columbia Law School.
Advocacy campaigns have engaged policymakers in United States Congress and lobbied for recognition through designations akin to National Historic Landmark and inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The Society has collaborated with legal historians from Harvard Law School and civil rights litigators with ties to ACLU to promote legislative protections and to address land use matters involving Prowers County commissioners. Its advocacy draws on precedents from redress efforts culminating in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and on litigation histories like Korematsu v. United States to inform public policy strategies.
Funding and partnerships come from foundations and agencies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Park Service grants, private foundations modeled on Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and collaborative projects with museums including the Japanese American National Museum and academic partners like University of Colorado Boulder. The Society has received philanthropic support from regional entities, partnered with Colorado State Historical Fund, and worked with conservators affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution for artifact stewardship. Volunteer coordination often interfaces with national volunteer programs similar to AmeriCorps and regional historical societies including the Pueblo County Historical Society.
The Society's preservation achievements have contributed to scholarly research published in journals associated with American Historical Association and student theses at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley and Arizona State University. Recognition has come from heritage organizations comparable to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and awards presented by state agencies like the Colorado Historical Society. Its model has informed comparative studies of wartime sites including Manzanar National Historic Site and Heart Mountain Relocation Center, influencing museum exhibitions at the Japanese American National Museum and documentary projects broadcast by outlets like PBS.
Category:Historic preservation organizations Category:Granada Relocation Center