Day of Exile Commemoration

News Release Date: May 10, 2024 Contact: Leah Okamoto Mann info@mukaifarmandgarden.org MAY 19 EVENT COMMEMORATES VASHON DAY OF EXILE AT OBER PARK On May 16, 1942, persons of Japanese descent were rounded up at Ober Park to be forcibly deported to the Pinedale “Assembly Center,” near Fresno, California, as directed by Executive Order 9066. Only one-third of them would ever return to their island homes. On Sunday May 19 at 2:00 the public is invited to come together at Ober Park located at 17130 Vashon Hwy SW to mark the 82nd anniversary of this tragic day. Friends of Mukai, the Vashon-Maury Heritage Museum, the Puget Sound Zen Center, and the Vashon Library have joined forces to host the event. It will begin outside on the lawn of Vashon Parks and Recreation offices with brief reflections by two Vashon residents, Dr Joseph Okimoto, incarcerated at Poston Internment Camp and Meredith Yasui, whose father fought against the unjust detention program. Also on the program will be recountings of the May 16, 1942 roundup written by three exiled Japanese American teenagers and read by Vashon youth. This will be followed by a traditional temple bell ceremony to honor each of the exiled families facilitated by Koshin Cain of the Puget Sound Zen Center. After the commemoration, the public will be invited into the Vashon Library for a presentation by Vashon artist Miya Sukune, who’s recently published graphic novel Searching for Saito, featuring Rinzo Saito, a Japanese immigrant living in Seattle from 1912 to 1969. A free PDF can be found at www.SearchingforSaito.com. The Vashon Library will feature a display of books related to the forced removal and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. This event will kick off a year-long campaign to design and fabricate a permanent art installation at Ober Park , 17130 Vashon Hwy SW #1608, to commemorate the May 16, 1942 roundup of our Japanese community.