On Monday we welcome special guest Tim Tahara, introduced by his good friend Scott Puckett. Tim shared about his family's visit to California in 2023 to visit several important sites in his family's history - including Manzanar War Relocation Center in California, now a National Historic Site administered by the US National Park Service. Tim shared background on his family, specifically his father Tom, who was from Olympia, WA when the relocations occurred, sending thousands of Japanese and Japanese-American citizens to relocation/internment centers around the west and a few in the east.
Tim shared memories of his father, who was by trade a 'chicken sexer' for poultry production facilities. Tim shared that his dad could determine the sex of over 1600 chicks an hour - An incredible speed by any measure!
[From Manzanar's website] "Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, led the United States into World War II and radically changed the lives of 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry living in the United States. The attack intensified racial prejudices and led to fear of potential sabotage and espionage by Japanese Americans among some in the government, military, news media, and public. In February, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the Secretary of War to establish Military Areas and to remove from those areas anyone who might threaten the war effort. Without due process, the government gave everyone of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast only days to decide what to do with their houses, farms, businesses, and other possessions. Most families sold their belongings at a significant loss. Some rented their properties to neighbors. Others left possessions with friends or religious groups. Some abandoned their property. They did not know where they were going or for how long. Each family was assigned an identification number and loaded into cars, buses, trucks, and trains, taking only what they could carry. Japanese Americans were transported under military guard to 17 temporary assembly centers located at racetracks, fairgrounds, and similar facilities in Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona. Then they were moved to one of 10 hastily built relocation centers. By November, 1942, the relocation was complete."
Tim shared some of the impacts on his family and the importance of the family visit to these sites to help understand the past. Tim also shared info about Tule Lake's facility, one of the more controversial internment facilities during the time. For more information about Tule Lake National Monument click here.
The club is grateful for Tim's willingness to share parts of his family history.