Reclamation of joy and community

Going to Manzanar was a moment of silence and reflection. Over 100,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII. To visit one of the most notable incarceration camps was a moment of reflection.

Manzanar is in the middle of nowhere; even if you escaped, there is nowhere to go. They still had people in cages with guns pointing at them. It is a place where approximately 1500 Japanese Americans never left Manzanar. Taking it all in meant removing the lens of history of posiitoning white domination and restoring the agency of Japanese Americans at Manzanar and how they managed to enjoy themselves. They were able to survive and thrive through creating a "new normal" in unprecedented times. For instance, there were schools, dances, and sports leagues where people could be people. That is one of the lens that I got to see in person for the first time: how a community can come together and thrive in a hellish environment.

I walked with the students from Sophia University, and we felt the pain and joy that was permanently absorbed in the soil. Hearing students react in shock to the treatement and forced removal of the Japanese Americans was reassuring. For not knowing any of this history, they took the initiative to read and experience everything alongside us. It gave me a perspective on how many places and histories we didn't know aboutin Japan. I will always commit to absorbing everything and everywhere.

I felt the pain of looking at the sky, how the clouds move, and how you will propbably never see anything fly over you. But still, they found joy in the struggle. Parents and community leaders made sure to provide students with a continued education and experiences that were being taken away from them. The use of sports and creating athletic teams allowed people to come together.

In these times, we must come together to act and bring joy, especially with current presidential administration we are under threat from in acts of hate and violence. We must respond unified.