The Long Journey Home was a ceremonial event held at the main campus of the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
on May 18, 2008, commemorating the
Japanese American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
students who, due to the passage of
Executive Order 9066 in 1942, were forced to leave the school and live in
internment camps
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
in the western
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. For nearly seventy years, many Japanese Americans were unable to return to the university to complete their education. Some attended at other universities, while others were forced to end their college career early because of financial reasons. In order to recognize the Japanese American students affected by the government's decision, the University of Washington carried out a ceremony "to honor the students and to educate current and
future generations
Future generations are cohorts of hypothetical people not yet born. Future generations are contrasted with current and past generations, and evoked in order to encourage thinking about intergenerational equity. The moral patienthood of future g ...
about the grievous national tragedy" by incorporating guest speakers and video memoirs while the students honored at the day's ceremony were given
honorary degrees
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
from the University of Washington.
Description
The Long Journey Home was held at the main campus of the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
inside rooms 120 and 130 of Kane Hall. The ceremony was held on May 18, 2008, and was scheduled to last from 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Pacific Standard Time
The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−08:00). ...
.
Agenda
Although the ceremony did not officially begin until 2:00 pm, group photographs were taken of the honorees in front of the campus'
Suzzallo Library
Suzzallo Library is the central library of the University of Washington in Seattle, and perhaps the most recognizable building on campus. It is named for Henry Suzzallo, who was president of the University of Washington until he stepped down in ...
at approximately 1:00 pm. The recognition ceremony began at 2:00 pm in Kane Hall, beginning with the entrance of the university
regents
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
. The president of the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
,
Mark Emmert
Mark Allen Emmert (born December 16, 1952) is the current president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He is the fifth CEO of the NCAA; he was named as the incoming president on April 27, 2010, and assumed his duties on November 1, ...
, presided over the event and gave a speech on the significance of this event as well as his personal perspective of the internment. Emmert was followed by several other speakers, which included
Norman Mineta
Norman Yoshio Mineta ( ja, 峯田 良雄, November 12, 1931 – May 3, 2022) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Mineta served in the United States Cabinet for Presidents Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and George W. Bush, a ...
, Gail Nomura, and Tetsuden Kashima. A video memoir was shown prior to the "presentation of the honorary degrees" which included personal accounts of University of Washington students of the internment and its effect on their time at the university, as well as their personal opinions of "The Long Journey Home" regarding its closure to the "long journey" which the Japanese endured.
See also
*
Empty Chair Memorial The Empty Chair Memorial ( ja, 空席の椅子の記念碑, ''Kūseki no Isu no Kinenhi'') is a memorial located at Capital School Park in downtown Juneau, Alaska, United States. It is dedicated to the 53 Juneau residents of Japanese origin who were ...
*
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
*
History of the Japanese in Seattle
There is a population of Japanese Americans and Japanese expatriates in Greater Seattle, whose origins date back to the second half of the 19th century. Prior to World War II, Seattle's Japanese community had grown to become the second largest ...
*
Japanese American internment
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
*
Lee Paul Sieg Lee Paul Sieg (October 7, 1879 – October 8, 1963) was president of the University of Washington from 1934 to 1946.
Sieg was born in Marshalltown, Iowa. Sieg received his masters in physics in 1901 and his doctorate in philosophy in 1910 from t ...
References
* "The Long Journey Home: Honoring UW Nikkei Students of 1941-1942". Retrieved July 31, 2008, from UW Alumni Association Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20100620090133/https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/200805nikkei_graduation/details.tcl
*(2008, May, 17). "‘The Long Journey Home’ is finally here". ''Northwest Asian Weekly'', retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www.nwasianweekly.com/2008270021/editor20082721.htm
*
External links
List of Long Journey Home honorees on the University of Washington Libraries web site(Includes photos and biographies)
University of Washington Site on The Long Journey HomeInterrupted Lives: Japanese American Students at the University of Washington, 1941-1942 Long Journey Home - video of ceremony''The Stolen Years'' pt. 2Seattle PI article on The Long Journey HomeUniversity of Washington Daily article on LJH(February 28, 2008)
University of Washington Daily article on LJH(May 19, 2008)
Long Journey Home Planning Committee reunion(At the University of Washington, November 30, 2011)
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Internment of Japanese Americans
University of Washington
Japanese-American culture in Seattle