Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017

THE INTERNMENT OF JAPANESE AMERICANS 75 years ago during World War II was recalled Sunday across the country on the Day of Remembrance.
    Sen. Mazie Hirono, herself a Japanese immigrant, called the special poor treatment of Japanese Americans, which started with the President's Executive Order 9066 in 1946, “a dark period in our nation’s history. Whenever our country has targeted a particular ethnicity, race, national origin, or religion for discriminatory treatment, we have been very deeply wrong."
     Hirono promised: “I will continue to fight these actions, and will reintroduce a resolution in the Senate recognizing the significance of Executive Order 9066, and affirming that we must stand up for the civil rights of all. #DayofRemembrance #EO9066,” said Hirono.
    The internment of the Japanese during WWII followed an Executive Order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Feb. 19, 1942 when he authorized the relocation of Japanese Americans from their homes, farms and businesses to camps. One detention center was located at Kilauea Military Camp in Ka`u.
     The rationale at the time was fear, and the thinking that Japanese Americans would support Japan during WWII. While America was also at war with Hitler of Germany and Mussolini of Italy, Americans of German and Italian backgrounds were not rounded up in the manner that affected the Japanese American communities.

Dwight Eisenhower visited Kilauea
Military Camp during WWII.

     The ten mainland camps and Hawai`i camps were used mostly to house Japanese American extracted from their American communities. While WWII raged, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Executive Order by the President to round up Japanese Americans.
    The last camp closed in March 1946 and with many Japanese Americans having fought for the U.S. during WWII in Europe as part of the famed “Go for Broke” 442nd Regiment, the U.S.  government became confused about how to reconcile the tragedy of internment.
    It wasn’t until more than 40 years after the War, in 1988, that the Civil Liberties Act was signed by Pres. Ronald Reagan, stating that the internment was “a grave injustice.” Succeeding presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, sent apology letters to camp survivors and their descendants. In February of 2015, Barack Obama established a national monument at the internment camp on O`ahu.

Japanese American U.S. war heroes from Ka`u,
Iwao Yonemitsu and the late Toku Nagano.
Photo by Julia Neal

     In contrast, said, Hirono, “today, we are seeing the same discriminatory treatment with President Trump’s targeting of refugees, immigrants, and the Muslim community."

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REP. CULSI GABBARD said, "The incarceration of over 120,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry during World War II and the in internment of tens of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II is a dark and shameful mark on our nation’s past. In remembrance of the men, women, and children held captive on our free soil, we must commit to standing up against intolerance, bigotry, divisiveness, and hatred. We must honor the brave Nisei, who in spite of these atrocities, volunteered to serve, forming the Nisei-only "Go For Broke" 442nd Infantry Regiment. We must embrace the diversity found at the heart of our American spirit, and promise to never return to the darkness of our past."  
      Gabbard is an original cosponsor of H.Res.143 recognizing the ideals of the Day of Remembrance, and to remember the restrictions, exclusion, and incarceration of Americans of Japanese, German, and Italian descent during World War II.

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Weave a Tī Leaf Lei, Wed, Feb 22, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Park rangers and staff from Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association instruct and provide materials. Free; park entrance fees apply.

Ocean View Community Development Corp. meeting, Fri, Feb 24, 5 p.m., Hawaiian Ranchos office.

Sanctuary Ocean Count, Sat, Feb 25, 8 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., various coastal locations, several in Ka`u. Participants count humpback whales and record their behaviors. Registration required. hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov or 725-5923.

Count humpback whales at the Sanctuary Ocean Count on the Ka`u Coast this Saturday.
Photo from NOAA

Ka`u Hospital Community Input Meeting, Sat, Feb 25,  1:30 p.m. at the hospital. Kurt Corbin, Chair of the East Hawai`i Regional Board of the Hawai`i Hospital System Corp, which oversees the hospital and clinic operations, said that "Personal conversations and dialogue with our community stakeholders are absolutely essential in helping guide the decisions that the Regional Board must make."
Board members and administrators will be on hand and a financial overview and future outlook will be presented. For more information, contact Terry Larson, Regional Board Secretary at 932-3103.

Love the Arts: Singin’ in the Rainforest, Sat, Feb 25, 5 – 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. The annual fundraiser features one-of-a-kind umbrellas painted by Hawai‘i Island artists. Fine wine, a luxurious gourmet buffet, spirited Hawaiian music and live and silent auctions. 967-8222

Palm Trail Hike, Sun, Feb 26, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit. This free, moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop trail provides one of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov

HOVE Road Maintenance board of directors meeting, Tue, Feb 28, 10 a.m., St. Jude’s Church. 929-9910

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Feb 28, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

www.kaucalendar.com