Bainbridge Island

On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, we visited the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, a place that offers a reminder of a dark chapter in U.S. history.
From the moment we entered the memorial, we felt the dignity with which the interned Japanese American community is honored and remembered. This was the first time many of us had heard of such an event, and for both of us, personally, we had never known about the Japanese American Exclusion before. It made the experience even more impactful and interesting to experience such an important part of history that had been unfamiliar to us.

The history behind the memorial is rooted in the events of March 30, 1942. Army trucks arrived at the homes of Japanese Americans on Bainbridge Island to transport families to the Eagledale ferry dock, where they were sent to Seattle. From there, they were relocated to internment camps, such as Manzanar in California. Families were forced to leave everything behind, unsure of where they were going or when they wo ld return. During our visit, we had the opportunity of meeting local residents who shared their personal connections to this history. One of the local residents is Lilly Kodama, a 7-year-old at the time of her internment, who spoke about her experiences in the camps. We also met Coral, a local guide who specializes in the history of the Japanese American Exclusion.

Lilly recalled how her family’s barn had been searched by the FBI, who found dynamite used for land clearing and rifles for hunting. This discovery led to her family’s separation, with her father, Frank Kitamoto, already detained in Missoula. Kodama's recollections of those events helped us understand the fear and confusion they must have felt, being unjustly targeted and labeled as threats to the very country they called home. For Lilly, the forced removal wasn’t fully understood at the time as an injustice; she said how she had been excited about the ferry ride to Seattle, having never been on a train before. She also remembered that her mother told her they were simply going on a trip to Seattle and she was excited on the journey ahead unaware of the harsh reality that awaited her. It’s heartbreaking to think how, in that moment, she was living in a comforting fantasy - only for that illusion to be shattered by the cruel truth of what was actually happening.

By the end of our visit, we felt more aware of the impact of this chapter in history. The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial didn’t just teach us about the past—it challenged us to think more critically about the present and the future, and how we can all play a part in creating a more inclusive world.

And with the concluding phrase, Nidoto Nai Yoni — Let It Not Happen Again, we are reminded not only of the past but also of our responsibility to ensure such injustices are never repeated in the future.

- Valentin und Chingiz