In-Person and Virtual Symposium and Pilgrimage celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Santa Fe Internment Camp Marker.
The Department of Justice/War Department’s World War II imprisonment of the Issei--Japanese resident aliens outlawed from citizenship--is an underrepresented chapter in American history.
This 20th anniversary commemoration of the dedication of the Santa Fe Internment Camp (SFIC) Historical Marker addresses that void and acknowledges a historical event that affected thousands of Japanese American families whose heads of households were secretively arrested as early as December 7, 1941.
In addressing the community confusion and discord that preceded the dedication of the SFIC Marker in 2002, Dr. Thomas Chávez, then director of the New Mexico History Museum stated, “We are here not to celebrate an event about which none of us is proud; we are here to commemorate an event that happened. It is our history.”
Symposium Program Outline
April 23, 2022 Symposium videos
MORNING SESSIONS
Opening remarks and JACL Players Act I
VIDEO LINK
How They came to Santa Fe: Stories, Memories, and Legacies of Our Issei Fathers and Grandfathers, Gail Y. Okawa, Ph.D.
VIDEO LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYQWroYFSn8
JACL Players - Act II
VIDEO LINK
Lunch Break
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
The Marker Controversy: Thoughts 20 Years Later
Facilitator: Aiko Allen; Panel: Thomas Chavez, Ph.D. (via Zoom from Spain), Frank Montano., Gerard Martinez y Valencia
VIDEO LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJAuGEw4Pa8&t=17sw
· 2:45-3:45 Through Lines—From Camp Closure to Future: The Contemporary Climate “Tsuru for Solidarity History” (16 min. film by Emiko Omori)
Facilitator: Rod Ventura; Panel: Victor Yamada, David Inoue, Rev. Duncan Ryuken Williams, Ph.D.
VIDEO LINK
* * *
5:30-6:30 Pilgrimage at the Santa Fe Internment Camp Historical Marker Site (meet at Frank S.Ortiz Park)
VIDEO LINK to PHOTOS and Tanka
Program
Procession, prayers, remarks, poetry, Santa Fe Wadaiko
Gail Y. Okawa, Rev. Duncan Ryuken Williams, Honorable Consul General of Japan
Davis Begay, Consul General of Japan Yoichi Mikami; reading of internee tanka poetry;
Chaplain, NM State Police Jose Villegas
Three Exhibits
Generational Legacies: The Santa Fe Internment Camp, Confinement in the Land of Enchantment, and artifacts from the New Mexico History Museum’s collection will be displayed in Room 15, New Mexico History Museum from April 9-30, 2022.
REGISTRATION
If you had a family member interned in Santa Fe, please share with us the name(s) of this individual by sending an email to shell93013@outlook.com with your name, email and name(s) of your family member.
This will be a "hybrid" event, offering two options for attendance: In-person and virtual (via live-streaming or later viewing). Please register accordingly.
Please note:
To attend the Symposium and Pilgrimage in person (Museum admission $7.00), click on BUY NOW button above.
To attend the Symposium virtually click the link below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckce6trDotHdZqlJv6G-G7PmVq1gunFRDF
*With rapid changes in COVID-19 over time, we know that people want to know whether to wear a mask. People may choose to mask at any time. COVID-19 Community Levels are a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Take precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 based on the COVID-19 Community Level in your area. You can go to this CDC website to help you decide whether to mask or not as you approach the April 23 symposium: COVID-19 by County | CDC
Please have your vaccine cards with you or on your phone to present upon entry. If you are ill, please stay at home.