Remembering the Internment 75 years on
Detained having never committed a crime. Forced to leave home. Stripped of property and possessions. Threatened with deportation to a country they had never seen.
It’s hard to imagine from the distance of 75 years that anything like this could happen in Canada. But it did. It is exactly the experience so many Japanese Canadians survived through as the government forced them to abandon their lives on the B.C. coast and move to internment camps in the Interior and through the rest of Canada.
Because it’s so hard to imagine, it’s critical that all Canadians — whether they have Japanese heritage or not — remember what happened during the Internments during the Second World War. To help people remember the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society is marking the 75th anniversary with a special luncheon Sept. 10.
A number of individuals from the Greater Victoria Nikkei community who lived through the Internment will share their experiences and memories at the luncheon. Their stories will offer a living document of what must never happen again.
There will also be a presentation by Jordan Stanger-Ross, Project Director of the Landscapes of Injustice project housed at the University of Victoria. Jordan will give a summary of their findings and describe the next phase of the project exploring the forced dispossession of Japanese Canadians.
There are a limited number of tickets available, so be sure to get yours today.
Where and When:
- What: 75th Anniversary of Internment Luncheon
- Where: Ambrosia Event Centre, 638 Fisgard St.
- When: Sunday, Sept 10, 1 to 4:30 pm
- Cost: $15 (Children 5-12 half price), includes buffet lunch with 2 hot entrees including a vegetarian lasagna option
- Tickets: Contact Patti Ayukawa at Real English Victoria, #301 – 1111 Blanshard St (250-858-8445). Also available at Obon Matsuri event August 13 (noon to 4:30pm) Ross Bay Villa
- More info: InternmentAnniversary@vncs.ca
