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Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center Welcomes its First Visitors During Grand Opening

For many in attendance, it was a deeply moving and bittersweet experience. Others were simply in awe that the day of the grand opening had arrived: The Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center was finally a reality, after many years of planning and fund raising, and now open to visitors.

Tom Brokaw before Friday Pilgrimage Program: HMWF Vice-Chair Doug Nelson; former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson; HMWF Chair Shirley Ann Higuchi; guest speaker Tom Brokaw; and President of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Melba Vasquez.
Photo by Don Tanguilig

Flag Raising: Former Boy Scout and internee, Bill Shishima, joins local Boy Scouts to raise the American flag at the Dedication of the Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center. Donald Yamamoto (not shown) also participated.
Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

Sen. Inouye, a Medal of Honor recipient who lost an arm fighting in Europe with the famous 442nd Army combat unit, recalled being shocked by racism he encountered after the war. He spoke of the strides made in subsequent decades, notably the 1988 Civil Liberties Act granting token reparations and issuing a formal apology to Americans of Japanese ancestry incarcerated during the war. But he cautioned that the lessons of this experience must be taught to future generations, and said the Interpretive Learning Center is an important achievement because it will tell that story for years to come.

After Sen. Inouye's address, Rev. Alfred Tsuyuki performed a traditional Shinto purification ritual at the front entrance to bless the Interpretive Learning Center, followed by a ceremonial cutting of barbed wire to officially open the center to visitors. Foot traffic streamed through the center throughout the afternoon and attendees enjoyed outdoor entertainment including taiko drum ensemble performances directed by Rev. Shuichi Thomas Kurai.

Designed to resemble the original Heart Mountain barracks, the Interpretive Learning Center houses permanent exhibits and artifacts that capture a sense of everyday life at Heart Mountain. First, visitors learn about the pre-war life of Japanese immigrants on the West Coast, and view an introductory film produced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki, whose father was incarcerated at Heart Mountain. Next, visitors learn about the upheaval of forced removal and the devastation of leaving behind homes, farms and businesses. Then, they explore a model of the camp and gain an understanding of daily life. Two recreated barrack rooms reveal what it was like to arrive at Heart Mountain and how families tried to make the best of their spare living quarters. Lastly, visitors gain insight into post-war challenges for the internees and the tragic legacy of civil rights abuses.

Barbed Wire Cutting: Barbed wire cutting officially opening the ILC. From left to right: HMWF Chair Shirley Ann Higuchi; former Sect'y of Transportation Norman Mineta; Goodwill Ambassadors Takashi Hoshizaki, LaDonna Zall and Bacon Sakatani; former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.
Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

On the Friday evening prior to the grand opening, the Pilgrimage Dinner held at the Park County Fairgrounds in Powell, Wyo., emphasized "Lessons from the Past" and included special guest speaker Tom Brokaw. The grand opening banquet on Saturday, Aug. 20, also at the Park County Fairgrounds, focused on "Guidance for the Future," with a panel of thought leaders from across the country who commented on legal, legislative, psychological and philanthropic perspectives of the Japanese American experience, and how it informs today's civil rights discussions. The panel included Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lance Ito, a respected advocate for civil rights and judicial reform, whose parents were incarcerated at Heart Mountain; Irene Hirano Inouye, president of the US-Japan Council; Sec. Norman Mineta, who served in the cabinets of two U.S. presidents; and Dr. Melba Vasquez, President of the American Psychological Association.

 

Saturday Dedication: Norman Mineta, former Secretary of Transportation and Alan Simpson, former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson.
Photo by Don Tanguilig

NPR's On Point, 8/26/11
Broadcast: "Revisiting Heart Mountain and the Stories It Tells" with Shirley Ann Higuchi, Eric Muller and Toshi Ito

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