KOKORO KARA Fall 2013 HEART MOUNTAIN WYOMING FOUNDATION In This Issue: n Two JACS Grants Awarded n 2013 Pilgrimage Recap n Smile at Heart Mountain Message from the Chair: Shirley Ann Higuchi This summer was a busy one for the served as a preview of the 26th Annual trial, and the small minority who did faced Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation. Meeting of the National Consortium on discrimination that went unrecognized for In addition to celebrating two years since Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts years. Board Members Eric Muller, Aura opening the doors of the Interpretive (NCREFC), which will take place June Newlin, Kathy Yuille and Claudia Wade Center, we have continued with outreach 25–28, 2014. The annual meeting will be are already hard at work planning for this across the country. held in Wyoming and will be hosted by the event, and I look forward to sharing more In the beginning of July, I traveled to Foundation. The cocktail reception fea- details with you as they become available. Seattle with HMWF Board Member Tak tured Justice Edward C. Clifton of the Su- This is an important time for the Heart Hoshizaki and Memory and Justice Coun- perior Court of Rhode Island, who is Pres- Mountain Wyoming Foundation, as we try cil Leader Bill Collier for the ident of the NCREFC; Judge to secure our future and continue to pre- 2013 Japanese American Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, of serve our history. Whether you volunteer National Museum (JANM) the D.C. Court of Appeals; or become an annual member, whether Conference. Although they and myself. We were joined you give to our Memory and Justice Fund come from two different by several members of the or donate a cherished artifact, you are generations, both Tak and Heart Mountain communi- helping to ensure that the story of Heart Bill spoke movingly about ty at the event. Thank you to Mountain will be shared for many more their connections to Heart all who supported us. generations. n Mountain—Tak as a Heart On October 18–19, Mountain draft resister and HMWF board members HONORARY ADVISORS Bill as a yonsei Heart Moun- will travel to Jackson Hole, Norman Y. Mineta tain descendant. We also Wyoming, for a reception in Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation had the chance to see Board PHOTO BY ERIC MULLER collaboration with the Na- Alan K. Simpson Member Allyson Nakamoto tional Parks Conservation U.S. Senator (ret.) in action; she works tirelessly for JANM. Association and the National Museum of The month ended with our annual sum- Wildlife Art. A short film on Heart Moun- BOARD OF DIRECTORS mer Pilgrimage, which was a huge success tain will be shown, and Board Member Shirley Ann Higuchi, Chair with over 200 attendees from all over the Eric Muller’s exhibit for his book Colors Douglas W. Nelson, Vice-Chair country for two days of remembrance. of Confinement will be on display. Senator Claudia Wade, Treasurer Many thanks to those of you who Al Simpson and Secretary Norman Mineta Rick Ewig, Secretary joined us in Wyoming for the Pilgrimage, have kindly agreed to speak at the event on Kris Horiuchi Pete Simpson and particularly to those who join us year a panel about their experiences at Heart Takashi Hoshizaki Shigeru Yabu after year. This year, Secretary Mineta gave Mountain and in government. In addition, Alan Kumamoto Kathleen Saito Yuille an inspiring speech in which he encour- HMWF Vice-Chair Doug Nelson will be Eric Muller LaDonna Zall aged young people to take an active role in advocating for our endowment. Allyson Nakamoto Aura Newlin ensuring the future of the site. I also want to thank our friends at the law R. Dana Ono We were pleased that over 30 people firm Holland & Hart, who have graciously signed up to be part of our Memory and offered to host the HMWF Board’s fall STAFF Justice Council, and we hope to recruit meeting at their Jackson Hole office that many more. I was busy doing just that weekend. Brian Liesinger - Executive Director and found someone who I am hopeful As Chair, my deepest wish is to secure Bethany H. Sandvik - Operations Manager will some day ably fill my shoes as Chair the Foundation’s future so that it will flour- Kim Barhaug - Facilities Manager of the Board: “Mai Mai,” Toshi Ito’s great- ish for years to come. To do so, we must Hana Maruyama - Newsletter Contributor granddaughter (pictured with me above). share our story in new places and with new Of course this may not happen until 2050, people. That is exactly what we are doing A special thanks to our summer but like Secretary Mineta, I look forward in D.C. and in Jackson Hole—and what we Interpretive Center staff for to seeing what future generations will will continue to do at next June’s NCREFC another great season: accomplish. Conference. The NCREFC seeks to ensure The busy summer is to be followed that our courts examine the treatment ac- Anna Clifton by an equally busy fall. On October 3, in corded to minorities in the courts and we Danielle Constein honor of Diversity Month, the law firm of feel that Heart Mountain is a historically- Sharyl McDowell Epstein Becker Green generously hosted significant venue for this event. Most of Kathryn McKee a cocktail reception in Washington, D.C., those incarcerated at Heart Mountain and Carter Reed featuring the Foundation. This reception other confinement sites did not receive a 2 Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation | Fall 2013 Message from the Executive Director: Brian Liesinger Recently moving from Minneapolis, move here to make something grow. historical pieces large and small: from pho- Minnesota, to Powell, Wyoming, and tran- The Foundation has its own list of “firsts” tos to watercolor paintings to government sitioning from working at a massive insti- to boast about from this past summer, and documents to garden implements. We are tution (the University of Minnesota) to a I am honored to have been a part of them. incredibly grateful to those who bring in small (but mighty) non-profit has resulted For the first time, a naturalization cere- pieces of Heart Mountain history. in something akin to culture shock. But my mony was held at the Center in June, where And yet with all that has happened this first months with the HMWF have been as seven people were sworn in as American summer—during which we also celebrated gratifying as they have been eye-opening. citizens by District Court Judge Steven the second anniversary of the Interpretive I continue to be impressed by the staff, the Cranfill. It was a moving ceremony, dur- Center—the schedule remains full with board and the compliments ing which Chair Shirley Ann planning for fall and for 2014: from visitors at the Interpre- Higuchi, Board Member • If you can make it to Jackson Hole on tive Center. Pete Simpson and U.S. Sena- October 18, please join us for a “Build- Having a contemplative tor Alan Simpson spoke. The ing Community for Heart Mountain” spirit, I have gotten into the poignancy of welcoming event (highlighted on page 8), featuring habit of taking note of many new citizens on a site where a film on Heart Mountain and a panel of my “firsts” in this new role: U.S. citizens were at one time discussion with Secretary Norman the first visitors I checked in; unjustly denied their rights Mineta and Senator Al Simpson. the first board meeting; the was not lost on those pres- first fire alarm; and my first ent. • With the help of another Japanese Pilgrimage. There will be The first crop of our mod- American Confinement Sites grant, many more visitors checked ern incarnation of a Victory we’re also in the process of hiring an ar- in, hopefully fire alarms of Garden went in the ground chivist to tackle the organization of our only the testing variety and, in June as well. With tre- Archives Center. We hope to have can- with luck, many more Pilgrimages. mendous contributions from volunteers, didates identified and interviews con- But my very first connection with Heart local businesses and staff, the James O. Ito ducted this fall. Mountain happened long before I was Historical Garden was dedicated at the Pil- • We’re growing our outreach through born—during the last of the homestead- grimage in July, with four generations of a new Memory and Justice Council, ing days in Wyoming. My grandparents, his family present. By now, the cucumbers, which is detailed in the story on page 7. both veterans of World War II, roamed the tomatoes, eggplant, squash and daikon Let us know if you’d like to be involved. camp in the early 1950s. They had secured have been producing, while the hollyhocks a farm plot north of Riverton, Wyoming, are nearly taking over the north end of the • In addition to our annual Pilgrimage and were given rights to collect materials garden. in August next year, we are bringing from the Heart Mountain Relocation Cen- The first renovations to the Honor Roll another major event to the area by host- ter. My grandfather dismantled one of the Memorial have been completed by work- ing the annual meeting of the National hospital buildings and used the materials ers from the National Park Service’s Big- Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fair- to construct a homestead house. horn Canyon National Recreation Area. ness in the Courts in June. On one level, I’m perturbed. I lament the The crew stabilized the staircase up to the Having wrapped up a summer season loss of nearly all of the camp structures— monument and equipped it with a handrail at the Center, during which we met thou- we have to rely heavily on our imaginations support—all while maintaining the struc- sands of visitors, we now set our sights on and our exhibits to envision the layout of ture’s historical integrity.