Vashon commemorates Japanese American incarceration

Islanders gathered at Ober Park Sunday, May 18 to commemorate the unconstitutional incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

The ceremony served to remember the painful and unjust forced removal, but also to issue a warning that historical injustice can repeat itself — and a reminder of the value of celebrating joy in community, too.

Karen Sundquist spoke to a large gathering, including several generations of her own family, the Sakais.

On May 16, 1942, the Sakai family, along with many other island Japanese families — 111 people in total — were forced from their homes and gathered at Ober Park. The removal was authorized by Executive Order 9066 issued by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As Sundquist described, they were filed onto military trucks, looking back at Vashon as the ferry sailed away. Sundquist’s mother, Metcko Nakamoto recalled “waving goodbye to her friends until they were only silhouettes.”

They stopped at one undisclosed location after another until they arrived at Tule Lake Internment Camp in northern California, enclosed by barbed wire and patrolled by military guards.

Sundquist held up family artifacts to illustrate the story along the way: Her uncle Harry’s Vashon High School letterman “V”; her aunt Tillie’s ID badge issued at Tule Lake; a copy of a formal apology letter by former President George H. W. Bush to the Japanese Americans incarcerated during the war.

Sundquist spoke of the Japanese word “gaman,” meaning to endure hardship. Sundquist said that her family, much like many other Japanese families who were incarcerated, rarely spoke of the experience. She only heard snippets of stories growing up.

In 2019, Sundquist and her sister visited Vashon, where they knew their family had once lived. She saw, in a tourist pamphlet, photos from an exhibit at Mukai Farm & Garden, of a suitcase claimed with a tag with her aunt Sumi’s name. Rita Brogan, former president of Friends of Mukai, described the scene in “A Bittersweet Return to Vashon,” an article published in the North American Post.

Sumi’s suitcase is still on display at Mukai Farm & Garden as part of the “Joy and Heartache” exhibit.

Bruce Haulman, president of the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association, explained that he and other exhibit curators — Rita Brogan, Joe Okimoto, Meredith Yasui and Alice Larson — struggled to find a title that represented the dichotomy of that day in May 1942: The joy of successfully building a home as an immigrant community, and the heartache of being unjustly torn away from their lives.

Displayed at the commemoration event were metal-cut panels by local artist Miya Sukune, depicting the Matsuda family picking strawberries on Vashon and performing a traditional Japanese dance while incarcerated at Tule Lake.

Sukune was selected to create a sculpture to be installed at Ober Park commemorating the Japanese Americans who were exiled and incarcerated in 1942. T-Mobile Hometown Grant Program presented the Friends of Mukai with a $45,000 check earlier this year to help facilitate the project, and the design for the sculpture was on display during the May 18 Day of Exile ceremony.

The sculpture features a circular, cut metal scene, weaving together a story of the Sakai family referencing many of the family’s belongings from before and during their incarceration. It is set to be installed next year.

David Gruenewald took the podium to speak about his mother, Mary Matsuda Gruenewald. Mary grew up on Vashon, and authored the memoir “Looking Like the Enemy,” a personal account of exile and incarceration. An activist, she was also outspoken during the Iraq war as she witnessed rise in discrimination against Muslim Americans.

David Gruenewald also referenced demonstrators near the back of the crowd drawing comparisons between the incarcerations of 1942 and the deportation of immigrants under President Donald Trump, holding signs such as “Not OK in 1942, Not OK now,” and “Due Process for One, Due Process for All.”

“I thank you all for this opportunity to speak with you for the message that you’re sending to our broader community,” Gruenewald said. “It’s not just here on Vashon, it’s not really even only in the country. … The world is dealing with authoritarianism now and its incursion in daily life. Now is the time to speak out. Now is the time to resist.”

Rob Katsura, Tillie’s son, read the surnames of each family exiled, as Shuko Johannessen of the Puget Sound Zen Center rang a bell with each name. Of the 30 families exiled, only 12 returned to Vashon after the war.

Mari Kanagy is a contributing journalist to The Beachcomber.

Shuko Johannessen of the Puget Sound Zen Center rings a bell as each name of a family exiled from Vashon is read. Of the 30 families exiled, only 12 returned to Vashon after the war. (Jim Diers photo)