History Mural - Little Tokyo

History Mural - Little Tokyo. . , America is a continuing story of a breaking from the past the departure from old homes to build a new life. , The late 19th century boats bringing Japanese immigrants to the United States carried a cargo of ambition, industry and energy. These Nikkei built the roads into the Sierras, transformed wastelands into a major Californian industry-agriculture and contributed to the growth of the cities. They enriched the life, commerce and culture of this new land. , But in 1942, they again packed their luggage for another break. World War II cut into the building of the Japanese-American community with the barbed wire edge of American internment camps. Undaunted, they and their children continued the struggle to reaffirm the basic ideals of human dignity and freedom. , This wall is dedicated to the pioneering spirit of those early Nikkei whose lives, struggles and achievements make a full and moving picture - both a part of and an interacting element in the large American panorama.