The Long Journey Home
Encyclopedia
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
on May 18, 2008, commemorating the Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
students who, due to the passage of Executive Order 9066
Executive Order 9066
United States Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military zones...
in 1942, were forced to leave the school and live in internment camps in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. For nearly seventy years, many Japanese Americans were unable to return to the university to complete their education. Some attended alternate 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 about the grievous national tragedy" by incorporating guest speakers and video memoirs while the students honored at the days ceremony were given honorary degrees from the University of Washington.
Description
The Long Journey Home was held at the main campus of the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
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.
Agenda
Although the ceremony did not officially begin until two o'clock, group photographs were taken of the honorees in front of the campus' Suzzallo LibrarySuzzallo 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 1926, the same year the first phase of the library's...
at approximately one o'clock. The recognition ceremony began at two o'clock in Kane Hall beginning with the entrance of the university regents. The president of the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, Mark Emmert
Mark Emmert
Mark A. Emmert, Ph.D., was named president of the NCAA on April 27, 2010. He is the fifth CEO of the NCAA; he assumed his duties on 1 November 2010. Emmert was previously the 30th president of the University of Washington, his alma mater, taking office in June 2004, becoming the first alumnus in...
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 whom of which included Norman Mineta
Norman Mineta
Norman Yoshio Mineta, is a United States politician of the Democratic Party. Mineta most recently served in President George W. Bush's Cabinet as the United States Secretary of Transportation, the only Democratic Cabinet Secretary in the Bush administration...
, 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 affect on their time at the university as well as their personal opinions of "The Long Journey Home" regarding its closure to the "long journey" the Japanese endured.