The Corner of Lincoln and Venice

In April of 1942, over 1,000 Japanese Americans were forced to gather on the corner of Lincoln and Venice Boulevards in Venice, California. 4 months earlier on December 7th, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and America entered World War II.  People of Japanese descent, even if they were born in America, were seen as spies and a threat to the United States. President Franklin D. Roosevelt then signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19th, 1942, which led to the removal of 120,000 Japanese Americans living in the west coast to be sent to internment camps.

“As a sixteen year-old I didn’t realize the injustice fully, but in time we learned how our rights as citizens were ignored. Thanks to the strength and resilience of our Issei parents, we were able to survive.”

It was winter time in Manzanar. One day it was snowing and Mae and a group of people who worked with her at the hospital wanted to get away.

Stories from the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument

From left, Brian Maeda, Mae Kakehashi, Arnold Maeda, Amy Ioki and the late Yosh Tomita ( not pictured ) provided the quotes for the VJAMM. 

One day Amy and her friends met up in Palisades and decided to take the street cars to Pasadena. The street cars were pretty empty but there was a man sitting in front of Amy and her friends.

Mae’s friend, Finn, took a group of medical secretaries and stenographers outside the camp by having them pile into a truck. They went to the foot of the mountain outside the barbed wire and played in the snow for a couple of hours. Mae and her friends felt the freedom of being outside camp and they had lots of fun in the snow!

Thank you to Phyllis Hayashibara, a member of the VJAMM committee, Victoria Yamashita, Girl Scout leader of troop 5325, my fellow Girl Scouts and the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple for helping me and supporting me through this project. A special thank you to Mae Kakehashi, Brian Maeda, June Tomita, wife of Yosh Tomita, Arnold Maeda and Amy Ioki for sharing their experiences with me and making it possible for me to tell their stories.

“Instead of being worried about where we were going, I was obsessed with the fact that I had parted with my constant companion, my pet dog, Boy. For a fifteen year-old, that was unforgettably tragic.” 

-Arnold Tadao Maeda From Santa Monica

Written and Illustrated by Lindsey Kojima

To earn the patch, complete the activity, fill out the form and mail to the address indicated. 

When Mae and her friends got back they were scolded by the head nurse for going outside of the camp. They were told it was wrong but they were not punished because the head nurse did not want to get in trouble for not watching them more closely. In the end Mae never regretted that day because she enjoyed the snow and made many fun memories.

When Yosh first got to Manzanar and stayed in the barracks, he noticed that there were holes in the floor. At night it would get very windy and sand would get blown into the barracks. When they woke up, sand would be on the floor and they would be covered in dust. To solve the problem, he had the idea to cover up the holes with the tops of cans.

Although these events happened more than 70 years ago, it is important to remember our history so that this does not happen again. The Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument stands as a reminder of this and inspires younger generations to stand up for themselves.

Despite the harsh conditions Arnold still had fun. Arnold was 15 years old when he arrived at camp. While in camp he met Mr. Lou Frizzell who was a drama teacher from UCLA.

When Arnold’s family arrived at camp, they were given cotton bags to stuff with hay to make mattresses to sleep on. Then they were led to their small barracks that were shared between two families. Their rooms only had one lightbulb, an oil burning heater and no running water. The bathrooms and showers were in a separate building and had no privacy.

When he gave his answers to the teacher she asked him, “Are you sure about where you were born? I’ve never heard of Manzanar.” Brian felt confused and asked his parents about where he was born when he got home. The mystery of where he was born inspired him to learn more about his history. When Brian grew up he became a filmmaker. He went on to produce films such as “The Music Man of Manzanar” and “We said NO NO”, both about experiences in the internment camps. 

The internees could only take what they could carry. Then they piled into a bus that took them on the 200 mile trip to Manzanar. The journey took over 8 hours.

This is a 1942 photo taken of the corner of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards where Japanese Americans gathered to take the bus to Manzanar (photo, courtesy of the Venice Free Press). On April 27th, 2017, the VJAMM was dedicated on this spot. Thanks to the help of many organizations who are listed on one side of the monument, the VJAMM is able to stand today.

Yosh liked reading comics but he was not allowed to bring any to camp. One day he was walking near one of the guard towers. “Plop!” He saw a flash of colors fall from the tower. It was a comic book that the guard in the tower had finished reading. Yosh picked it up and started to read it. He finished it in a couple of days and then it became a tradition. Every week or so he would wait for the guard to finish his comic book and toss it below the guard tower. Yosh would then pick it up and read it himself.

Arnold played the character Professor McIntyre in a play called “Growing Pains” and a chorus member in a musical called “Loud and Clear” which was written and directed by Mr. Lou Frizzell. He also became the senior class president at Manzanar High School. He made many friends and happy memories from these activities.

Brian was born in Manzanar and does not remember any experiences there but it was a part of his history. When Brian was in elementary school, he had to fill out a sheet about himself. One question asked, “Where were you born?” He answered, “Manzanar.”

“I was only five years old when I was imprisoned in Manzanar. I feel so grateful to the many Nisei and Sansei who worked successfully for the redress and reparations with the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. I feel extremely grateful also to all the people in the community who came together to make the VJAMM a reality.”

This is a picture of a map to Manzanar that is on the back of the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument.

“When the camps closed, we were given $25 and told to leave. We had nothing when we left camp- no homes, no jobs, no prospects. It was very hard on all of us.”

He turned around suddenly and asked Amy, “Now what are you going to do? You lost the war.” She understood that he had meant to anger her with that question and responded by saying, “Oh, I don’t care, I’m an American.” He was surprised by her answer and then replied, “Oh that’s right,” and turned back around and did not bother Amy anymore.

“My family reported to this very corner, before being sent to Manzanar concentration camp with only what they could carry. They, and many other families, lost everything: their homes, their businesses, their liberties.”

-Brian Tadashi Maeda Born in Manzanar

Name

Safari may block some audio or video from playing automatically and ‘read to me’ will skip these. You can configure this in Safari’s preferences.