The Topaz Stories Exhibit opened on August 2 at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. Here’s a photo gallery of the day:
Before beginning my remarks, I asked survivors and descendants of Topaz and other camps to stand or raise their hands, as well as those whose families were so-called “voluntary evacuees.” Later, in the exhibit gallery, a non-Japanese visitor came up to me and said she knew a little about the wartime “relocation,” but sitting there, when all the survivors and descendants had raised their hands, she realized that she was surrounded by living history. The presence of the various groups within our community was the main event, as the Topaz Stories Project is not just about stories from the past, but about connecting and reconnecting, with each other, with current events, with others outside our community, and across generations.
