In the early months of 1942, amidst the backdrop of the Second World War, a hastily built barracks-like facility sprang up on the outskirts of Fresno, California. Known as the Pinedale Assembly Center, it became one of the fifteen temporary detention centers constructed to incarcerate Japanese-Americans until their transport to permanent camps in Tule Lake, California, and Poston, Arizona.

The Pinedale Assembly Center was located in Fresno County, California, and was an integral part of the larger San Joaquin Valley Japanese-American community. Before World War II, this region was home to a vibrant and thriving Japanese-American population. Families had established farms, businesses, and cultural institutions, contributing significantly to the local economy and society.

However, the course of history took a dramatic turn with the issuance of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. This order led to the forced removal and internment of Japanese-Americans living along the West Coast. This measure, a response to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and fueled by fear and xenophobia, led to the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese-Americans. For many in the San Joaquin Valley community, the Pinedale Assembly Center symbolized their sudden displacement and the loss of their homes and livelihoods: scars that forever remained on their lives and lineage.

From June 1923 through November 1931, the property operated as the Sugar Pine Lumber Company, providing the economy with 600,000 board feet of lumber daily. Due to a shortage of working capital and the ill effects of the Great Depression, the company's lifespan was short. Though not a successful business, it did succeed in the firm establishment of the Pinedale community. "Despite the demise of the lumber mill, the community of Pinedale continued to thrive. Leftover scrap lumber from the mill was used to construct new homes and buildings in Pinedale, including Saint Agnes Church. A variety of ethnic groups resided in Pinedale, such as immigrants from Mexico, some African Americans, and Caucasians, all intent upon pursuing their own "American Dream."

Shortly after the war's onset, the Pinedale Assembly Center quickly arose on the property. Like other internment facilities, scantily constructed barracks and other structures became areas of confinement for thousands of innocents. The accommodations were stark, with inadequate living conditions, privacy, and freedom of movement. Families were abruptly separated from their homes and communities, ostracized, faced emotional distress, and endured the challenges of adapting to an entirely new way of life.

From a national perspective, there was a palpable mix of fear and racial prejudice at the time. Despite a lack of evidence suggesting Japanese-American involvement in espionage, government officials and the media echoed the sentiment that people of Japanese descent posed a potential threat to national security. Simply stated, the United States held every individual with Japanese heritage responsible for the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Today, the narrative surrounding the Pinedale Assembly Center and other similar facilities has undergone a profound shift. The perspective, steeped once in wartime hysteria and racism, has evolved over the decades. The signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 by President Ronald Reagan, which acknowledged and apologized for the unjust incarceration, was a significant turning point. The act stated that the government's actions were based on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership" and awarded reparations to surviving Japanese-American detainees.

From the perspective of Japanese Americans, this redress was a long-overdue acknowledgment of the injustices they suffered. Many survivors have shared their stories, ensuring that the lessons from this dark chapter of American history remain as educators against repetition. In Fresno, where the Pinedale Assembly Center once stood, a small memorial now pays tribute to those forced to assemble there. Instead of statues or obelisks, the community chose to commemorate using education and community dialogues via a panoramic display of plaques and photographs. The Sugar Pine Lumber Company water tower remains in the landscape as it claims its place alongside modern architecture. Benches made from lumber cut at the lumber company surround a "Fountain of Remembrance" and provide a resting place for immersion and reflection into the site, a poignant reminder of the resilience of those affected and the need for vigilance against the recurrence of such injustices.

World War II Army veteran Vernon N. Schmidt grew up in the town of Reedley, Fresno County, California. Located approximately 32 miles from Pinedale, his family farmed, worshipped, and received schooling alongside other families in this blended community. His childhood memories and classroom experiences reflect the friendships and influences of Japanese-American citizens.

The Nisei, American native-born citizens of Japanese immigrants, comprised 70,000 of the 120,000 sent to internment camps. Vern and his wife Violet recall the confusion and sadness of witnessing those they grew up with being "herded up and sent off like cattle." Unable to give his friends the proper sendoff on what he remembers as a Saturday, Vern and his brother, Glenn, worked the family farm with their father to provide for their family during wartime. Over 80 years later, he shared, "These individuals were our high school friends. Several years down the line, our Class of 1943 organized a gathering in Reedley, during which we presented retroactive 1943 High School Graduation Certificates to many of these individuals. This heartfelt gesture brought forth a flood of happy tears from those in attendance."

The collective memory of the Pinedale Assembly Center is intimately tied to the Japanese-American community's resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Within the San Joaquin Valley community and beyond, there has been a concerted effort to document the stories of those processed at Pinedale and similar camps. This documentation includes oral histories, photographs, and personal accounts that shed light on the challenges and triumphs of those affected. Additionally, museums, educational programs, and tools exist to educate the public about this dark chapter in American history.

In summary, the history of the Pinedale Assembly Center is deeply rooted in the rich tapestry of the San Joaquin Valley Japanese-American community. The collective memory discussed serves as the memorial to the strength and steadfastness of individuals who endured internment and serves as a vital reminder of the suffering experienced by those who lived during the Second World War.

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It has been said we create memorials, so we never forget, and monuments so we always remember. The Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial provides its visitors a means of never forgetting the incomprehensible experiences of Japanese-Americans on the West Coast during World War II. It simultaneously recognizes the importance of remembering that citizens' freedom and rights are worth fighting for in America regardless of the foreign foe.

It is essential to examine the Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorials history by focusing on the events leading to the Internment Decision, the Exclusion of the Japanese, and the impact on residents of Bainbridge Island. These factors influenced the desire to create the Memorial, its support, and the eventual design. It is a unique Northwest site of memory compared to other Japanese Memorials in the United States.

The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 led to a nationwide anti-Japanese fervor in the United States that culminated in the Internment of over 120,000 Nikkei in several concentration camps inland of the West Coast. This act was legally sanctioned by Executive Order 9066.

Bainbridge Island, a small island eight miles from Seattle by boat, was an interracial rural community where 272 Japanese lived and worked in harmony with their neighbors. On March 30, 1942, given only six days advance notice, 227 residents of the island became the first Japanese-Americans to be removed from their homes. They were force-marched down the path leading to the Eagledale Ferry dock guarded by US soldiers, where they boarded the vessel for Seattle and an unknown destination. Eventually, 12,892 Washington residents found themselves relocated to concentration camps. Over time, the term for these camps has been softened to "internment camps" or "relocation camps" to avoid direct correlation with Holocaust concentration camps. Still, the phrase at the time was "concentration camps." Most of the Bainbridge Island Japanese would remain in camps until the end of the war, and many of the younger Nissei men would serve in the United States Army in Europe. Of the 272 Japanese-Americans who left Bainbridge Island, only 150 would eventually return. The injustice of incarcerating citizens for unfounded security fears would not bring an apology or reparations by the government until 1988.

Before their expulsion, Japanese-Americans had been an integral part of the Bainbridge Island community and were generally welcome in coming back. The Bainbridge Review, a local paper, was one of the only publications on the west coast that objected to the exclusion and reported updates on life in the camps. However, despite help from local friends who had remained, many had to start over when they returned to the island. The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC) was founded after the war to assist those returning and new residents.
In 1988, directly after the passing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 by the United States Congress, the BIJAC partnered with the Bainbridge Island/North Kitsap Interfaith Council (Interface Council) to form the Bainbridge Island WWII Nikkei Internment and Exclusion Memorial Committee. This committee led fundraising efforts and partners with local politicians to receive federal funds for the project allowing it to proceed with partnership from the City of Bainbridge Island.

The first Memorial, a simple stone with an information plaque, was dedicated in 2002. Later that year, the Bainbridge Island Japanese-American Memorial Study Act was passed into law, and progress resulted in the groundbreaking dedication in 2006. In 2008, the site received Federal Status and officially connected to the Minidoka National Historic Site in Idaho.

The Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial has multiple sections planned in phases on the road once leading to the former Eagledale Ferry Dock site. Building the Memorial along the same path and same space where the Nikkei boarded the ferry off the island creates a link to the past that visitors to the site can envision. This experience also aligns with famous photos taken as the Nikkei walked to the ferry (Figure 1) that further "evokes the day of departure." The official vision is as follows:
The vision is for a memorial area that is evocative and contemplative with the power to instruct future generations about the injustices of the past and the fragility of assumed rights. Perhaps most importantly, the Memorial will commemorate and honor the strength and perseverance of the people involved and celebrates the capacity of human beings to heal, forgive and care for one another.

Local Native-American artist Jonpaul Jones was the designer of the Memorial. Jones has been honored nationally for "honoring the natural world and indigenous traditions" and designed the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. Growing up in Oklahoma as a member of the Choctaw reservation brought a personal connection to the exclusion that influenced his design. "I'm an American-Indian, and I understand being sent away from your homeland." His design incorporates the area's landscape while combining Japanese and Pacific Northwest materials and building styles spaced over five acres of land.

Of the completed portions of the Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial, the "story wall" is the most prominent feature and is meant to be the most thought-provoking. It intends to "convey a feeling of belonging, stability, and quiet strength…[and also to] convey a sense of slow and steady movement". Visitors move quickly to the wall past the information pavilion and solemnly walk down the path, reading the names and contemplating the friezes. Dozens of paper cranes hang from the wall as symbols of peace and add a living connection to the past. The Memorial can be uncomfortable to view as it poses the greatest generation in a way seldom seen. Depicted is an inherently bad light of racism and reactionary policies justified by "a means to an end." The monument captures the event while providing information on anti-Japanese bias after Pearl Harbor but does not go into great detail on racism or life in the camps. However, politicians and interned Nikkei pressed to ensure all visitors understand the focus on "Nidoto Nai Yoni." At the dedication ceremony, local politician Jay Inslee (and eventual state governor) alluded to this with "We don't sit in judgment of the past but in inspiration of the future."

Compared to other Japanese-American memorials to World War II, the Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial links most directly to the location and individuals. Its existence proves the desire of the Pacific Northwest Community to learn from its past. Monuments are not history, but the Memorial urges us to "feel" history and tie the past to the present and the future through specific victim imagery and comfortable Northwest styling.

With remembrance, there is also a notion of guilt by creating the Memorial and paying community reparation for the mistreatment of Japanese-Americans on the very site where it occurred. The Bainbridge Review, along with others in the community, fought specifically against racial bias that attempted to prevent the return of the Nikkei to the island. The Review's owners, Bob and Milly Woodward, hosted heated community forums on the Japanese. They fought for the rights of their friends as American citizens regardless of their nationality.

A specific effort acts as evidence connecting the Japanese-Americans that were an integral part of the local schools, businesses, and social community before the exclusion and after the war. One frieze depicts a Japanese boy in a Bainbridge High School baseball uniform. It is an attempt to show the Japanese were "just like us," playing baseball for the local high school they attended with local [and as] residents. This example helps the viewer embrace the sense of guilt and disgrace to exclude "good citizens."

Sharing the local history of Bainbridge Island, the Memorial's creation, the direct design decisions, and the reaction to the monument creates an understanding of why the monument exists. It will be a supported part of Bainbridge Island for years to come. The motto "Let it Not Happen Again" is intended never to forget what happened to Japanese Americans in World War II. It is also a promise by a community always to remember.

(edited by Laura Bailey)

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