...and the community of South Lake Tahoe listened.
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| Since last November, Mrs. Houston and I have been planning her trip to South Lake Tahoe. It was hard to believe the day had finally come and incredible to see how wonderfully she was received. The Tahoe Daily Tribune wrote a great article that can be read here. |
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| We had no idea how many people would come. I guessed the closest, with the actual count being about 200 attendees from age 5 to 95. It was standing room only! |
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| Having read the book Farewell to Manzanar and having toured the grounds and museum of Manzanar, hearing Mrs. Houston tell her story, to many who had not heard it, was very emotional. |
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| The message that touched me the most was, "I wrote the book not to inspire guilt, but to bring understanding to others of the experience of being interned." |
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| After speaking and fielding questions for 1 1/2 hours, Jeanne signed autographs, poised for photos and shared her story with others, in a more intimate way. |
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| Our friend, Beej (Bonnie who we met in Italy), read an e-mail I sent out the day before, and decided she had to make the drive from Sacramento. In her words, "When
I found out that Denise was hosting Jeanne, I told her some of my own
story, about living in Penryn among many Japanese who had been interned,
and participating in the events at the Placer Buddhist Church, which
abutted the property of my parents'
ranch, and was the center of culture in Penryn. Many of my schoolmates
were Japanese, but I knew nothing about internment until I was an
adult--nothing had been said in my history classes, even as I sat
surrounded by children of former internees. For the most part, they knew
little or nothing about the experiences of their parents and
grandparents at Tule Lake and Manzanar." |
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| Many of the people who attended this presentation had a family connection to Executive Order 9066, and shared their emotional internment histories. The Friends of the Library's desire to have Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston tell the story of how her family’s life, in
an internment camp, became a cautionary tale about civil rights
violations, is an important step in making certain something like this doesn't happen again. | |
When I left Manzanar I wrote, "After
exploring the
museum, reading the exhibits and digesting what I had seen on the
driving tour, I left with a respect of this people's fortitude. I have
no true idea of what was the sentiment, fear or perceived threat of
Japanese in California- post Pearl Harbor. What I do know now is that
the Japanese interned in Manzanar made the best of the situation. They
survived and at times thrived when many people would have lost all
hope. It brings to mind one of my favorite Japanese proverbs, "Fall
seven times, stand up eight." What a powerful message to take with us
as we headed south on historic highway 395, pleased that on this day we
did stop."
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1 comments:
I look forward to reading her book, especially after visiting the internment camp. I cannot believe the turn out at the library for the author. Great job promoting the event Denise!! I am sure Jeanne Houston was pleased. So many news ears to interpret her story.
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