Manzanar

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal and incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during the second World War II. Most were American citizens living on the West Coast. Families were given only days to sell their homes, businesses, and belongings before being sent to remote detention centers under armed guard. One of the most infamous was Manzanar, located in California’s Owens Valley beneath the Sierra Nevada mountains. More than 10,000 people lived behind barbed wire there in cramped barracks exposed to dust storms, heat, and bitter winter cold. Despite the injustice, incarcerated families created schools, gardens, newspapers, and community programs to preserve dignity and hope. Today, Manzanar National Historic Site stands as a powerful reminder of how fear, racism, and wartime hysteria can threaten democracy and civil liberties in America.During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, The Joy Trip Project honors the enduring contributions of artists, activists, laborers, and visionaries whose stories are woven into the American experience.The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American history.#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminuteBecome a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a free copy The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesedwardmills.substack.com/subscribe