Legislation has been sent to President Biden to establish the Amache National Historic Site/Colorado State Archives
A World War II Japanese-American incarceration site in Colorado will be added to the National Park System as soon as President Biden signs legislation passed by Congress. To be known as Amache National Historic Site, the camp once covered 10,000 acres on the high, desolate plains of southeastern Colorado close to the town of Granada
“This continued growth of our National Park System is crucial for it to preserve locations and stories in American history, including those that are not easy to hear but essential to tell,” said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO at the National Parks Conservation Association. “The unconstitutional imprisonment of Japanese Americans is an undeniably tragic story. But by preserving Amache, we can ensure that as a country we confront our mistakes, honor the stories of those who were unjustly imprisoned, and protect the site for future generations.”
The legislation to establish the site was sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives by Joe Neguse and Ken Buck and in the Senate by Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper.
“I have waited many, many years to see the day where we can be certain that Amache, as a place of reflection, remembrance, honor, and healing, is protected for our current and future generations,“ said Bob Fuchigami, an Amache survivor.
“My father, David Takada, along with my grandparents, Kakuji and Fumi Takada, and my uncle, Andrew Takada, were all incarcerated in Amache,” said Michael Takada, Amache descendant and chief executive officer of the Japanese American Service Committee. "They lived for decades with a sense of shame and deep emotional pain and trauma."
According to NPCA, "Amache has the distinction of having the highest rate of military volunteerism per capita than any of the other incarceration sites and its prolific silkscreen shop created more than 10,000 war posters, a likely reflection of ongoing efforts of Japanese prisoners to actively prove their patriotism. Thirty-one Amache men were killed in the war, including one Medal of Honor recipient. Survivors and descendants of Amache have worked for decades to honor and preserve the land at risk of being forgotten, with assistance from the Amache Preservation Society, civil rights groups, veterans’ groups, academics, public lands advocates, the Town of Granada and other local and state elected officials."
Other Japanese-American incarcerations sites in the National Park System include Manzanar, Tule Lake, Minidoka, and Honouliuli.
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Comments
How many of these parks do we need?
Enough to ensure that the National Park Service cannot properly manage its existing parks.
I respect what the above commentors have said, but we need this park and more parks. Have you seen the numbers of Americans/Others flooding into the National Park System. More of the popular parks having timed entries or reservation based entries. If you dont reserve a campground on "recreation.gov" well good luck!!! The Park system is being crushed by visitation and this will only increase in the years ahead.
Enough to ensure that we never again repeat the mistakes.
As many as we possibly can !!!
Joshua - how many people are going to view Amache as a viable alternative to Yellowstone, Yosemite, or Zion? These kind of properties don't need to be part of the already overwhelmed NPS to be preserved and respected especially when there are already four others in the system that draw less than a couple 100k visitors a year combined.
Enough to realize how horrible we were to other Americans and how easily we could get there again.
George Santayana (1863-1952) "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.".
These sorts of national historical sites, battlefields, Stonewall, former forts, and such are steps towards remembering that past. The past is, of course, best learned from sources as close to the original as possible.