Near Independence in Inyo County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Legacy
Manzanar National Historic Site
Photographed By Craig Baker, April 28, 2023
1. Legacy Marker
Amid the 1960s civil rights struggles, younger Japanese Americans spoke out, shattering their elders’ silence and shame about the camps. On a cold December day in 1969, 150 people journeyed here on the first organized pilgrimage. An annual event since, the Manzanar Pilgrimage attracts hundreds of people of all ages from diverse backgrounds. On the last Saturday of April, they gather here for a day of remembrance with speeches, a memorial service, an traditional ondo dance.
Visiting the cemetery anytime can be a personal pilgrimage—of reflection, worship, remembrance, or protest. Some people leave offerings---coins, personal mementos, paper cranes, water and sake, and religious items—as outward expressions of the ongoing, unspoken conversations about America’s past and future.
(Quote at the bottom of the marker:)
“America is strong as it makes amends for the wrongs it has committed…We will always remember
this page online
(Inscription on the left side of the marker:)
Sue Kunitomi Embry 1923-2006-Sue Kunitomi arrived at Manzanar in May 1942, at age 19. In camp, she served as a teacher’s aid, wove camouflage nets to support the war effort, and worked as a reporter and then managing editor of the Manzanar Free Press.
Years later Sue Kunitomi Embry was among the first of her generation to speak out about the camps. As the driving force behind the Manzanar Committee, she organized the Manzanar Pilgrimage for 37 years and worked tirelessly to ensure that this site and its stories would be preserved to protect the human and civil rights of all. Today, Sue’s legacy endures in the ongoing work of informing and inspiring future generations.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Civil Rights • War, World II. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1942.
Location. 36° 43.524′ N, 118° 9.708′ W. Marker is near Independence, California, in Inyo County. Marker can be reached from U.S. 395, on the left when traveling north. Located at the Manzanar cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5001 Highway 395, Independence CA 93526, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 10, 2009
2. Legacy Marker
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 10, 2009
3. Legacy Marker
Photographed By Craig Baker, April 28, 2023
4. Legacy Marker - at right
Photographed By Craig Baker, April 28, 2023
5. Memorial in Cemetery
The Japanese characters read “Soul Consoling Tower”
Photographed By Craig Baker, April 29, 2023
6. Manzanar Pilgrimage 2023
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 10, 2009
7. Manzanar Entrance Sign
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 10, 2009
8. Manzanar National Historic Site
Credits. This page was last revised on June 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 676 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 15, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 2, 3. submitted on December 2, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 15, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 7, 8. submitted on December 2, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
