Manzanar Committee

Manzanar Committee
Name	Manzanar Committee
Founded	1970s
Founder	Sue Kunitomi Embrey (founding member), William Hohri (supporter)
Location	Los Angeles, California
Focus	Historic preservation, civil liberties, Japanese American redress
Notable	Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, designation of Manzanar National Historic Site

Manzanar Committee

The Manzanar Committee is a Los Angeles–based civic organization formed to preserve the history of the World War II incarceration site at Manzanar and to promote redress, memory, and civil liberties. The Committee has played a central role in activities linking the legacy of Manzanar War Relocation Center to broader debates involving Japanese American Citizens League, National Park Service, Civil Liberties Act of 1988, Japanese American redress movement, and allied groups. Through public events, educational outreach, and advocacy, the Committee connects survivors, descendants, scholars, and institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, Smithsonian Institution, Japanese American National Museum, and Densho.

History

The Committee arose in the aftermath of activist efforts that included the Los Angeles Japanese American community and survivors associated with the Manzanar Pilgrimage tradition, with roots reaching to figures like Sue Kunitomi Embrey and community leaders who engaged with organizations such as the Japanese American Citizens League and the Japanese American Redress Movement. During the 1970s and 1980s the group collaborated with historians at UCLA, activists working alongside National Coalition for Redress/Reparations (NCRR), and attorneys connected to cases invoking the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and testimony before congressional hearings. The Committee mobilized public memory during landmark developments including designation efforts by the National Park Service and interpretive planning that culminated in the establishment of the Manzanar National Historic Site. Its history intersects with broader Japanese American experiences including genealogies tied to Issei, Nisei leadership, and advocacy networks linked to organizations like Japanese American Citizens League and Asian American Studies programs.

Mission and Activities

The Committee’s mission emphasizes preservation of the physical landscape of Manzanar War Relocation Center, documentation of survivor testimony held by partners such as Densho and the Japanese American National Museum, and public education aligned with the principles behind the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and reparative initiatives promoted by figures like Fred Korematsu and Minoru Yasui. Activities include coordination of annual pilgrimages that draw stakeholders from institutions such as National Park Service, scholars from Stanford University and University of California, Los Angeles, and community groups like Nisei Veterans Committee. The Committee has engaged with documentary projects involving filmmakers affiliated with American Film Institute and archival endeavors shared with repositories such as Bancroft Library and National Archives and Records Administration.

Advocacy and Education Programs

Educational programming includes docent training that partners with National Park Service rangers, curriculum development used by teachers in conjunction with California State University, Los Angeles and secondary school districts, and public lectures featuring historians from University of California, Santa Cruz and authors who have written on wartime incarceration and constitutional law cases like Korematsu v. United States. The Committee sponsors workshops, oral history sessions with survivors linked to collections at Densho and the Japanese American National Museum, and collaborates with artists associated with Manzanar Concentration Camp photography projects and exhibitions curated by institutions such as Museum of Modern Art and regional art centers. It also supports scholarship and conferences co-hosted with Asian American Studies Association and legal symposia referencing decisions like Ex parte Endo.

Monuments and Commemoration Efforts

The Committee has been instrumental in ceremonies and memorial installations at the Manzanar site, coordinating with the National Park Service and descendants who work with sculptors, historians, and architects educated at institutions such as University of Southern California and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Commemorative activities include stewardship of markers, interpretive panels, and preservation projects carried out alongside federal entities like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and non‑profits such as the Japanese Cultural Center. Annual pilgrimages, interfaith services involving clergy from United Methodist Church and Buddhist Churches of America, and community ceremonies honor internees and veterans connected to organizations like the Nisei Veterans Committee and the Japanese American Citizens League.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Governance has comprised a volunteer board drawing from Japanese American community leaders, educators, historians, and legal advocates affiliated with entities such as Japanese American Citizens League, National Coalition for Redress/Reparations (NCRR), and academia at University of California campuses. Funding sources historically include private donations, grants from foundations engaged with civil rights history, cooperative arrangements with the National Park Service, and in‑kind support from cultural institutions including the Japanese American National Museum and university archives. The Committee has also received modest philanthropic support aligned with organizations such as the Ford Foundation and regional family foundations connected to Japanese American philanthropic networks.

Controversies and Criticism

Criticism has arisen occasionally over interpretive choices, allocation of resources, and political stances intersecting with debates involving leaders like Gordon Hirabayashi and litigation strategies exemplified by Korematsu v. United States. Some scholars and community members associated with Asian American Studies programs and institutions such as Densho have contested narrative emphases or outreach priorities, while preservationists affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and federal agencies have debated conservation methods. Disputes have also touched on relationships with national bodies like the National Park Service and local organizations including the Japanese American Citizens League, reflecting differing perspectives on commemoration, pedagogy, and the scope of reparative advocacy.

Category:Japanese American history