TWIN FALLS, Idaho — April 28 marks the 80th anniversary of the removal of Japanese Americans from Seattle, Tacoma and Alaska areas, where they were then transported to Washington’s Camp Harmony. Among America’s concentration camps is the Minidoka War Relocation Center, in Jerome.
During World War II, around 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced out of their homes, relocated and incarcerated in concentration camps in America’s west.
13,000 Japanese Americans were removed from the west coast and incarcerated at the Minidoka War Relocation Center In Jerome.
Jerome’s Minidoka National Historic Site now serves as a historical resource in Idaho.
Thursday night, the College of Southern Idaho’s Hailey Center will host Friends of Minidoka for a history discussion open to the community.
The free public service event aims to educate the community, and is open to teens and adults.
“This is a really important piece of our local and cultural heritage and many people don’t know about it, so I’m hoping that this event on the 28th is it a way to share this history with others,” said Robyn Achilles, Executive Director for Friends of Minidoka.
Holding the event on this 80th anniversary is geared towards educating Idahoans about the local history.
Every one of these commemorative dates are important for us to stop and realize how many violations of civil liberties occurred for American citizens,” said Achilles.
The event is from 6 pm to 7 pm in CSI’s Blaine County Center. It includes a 30 minute film about Minidoka’s history, followed by an information session including educational resources for the community.
“I am very excited about it because I don’t know enough about what happened and I want to know more, and those who don’t study history are in danger of repeating our mistakes of the past,” said Kimberly Madsen Dill, Professor of English at CSI.
For more information visit CSI’s calendar here.
