Last updated: October 21, 2024
Article
Marion Konishi: Confronting Injustice at Amache with Resilience and Hope
Courtesy of Anne Wilson
“One and half years ago I knew only one America—an America that gave me an equal chance in the struggle for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If I were asked then, ‘What does America mean to you?’ I would answer without any hesitation and with all sincerity: ‘America means freedom, equality, security, and justice.’” - Marion Konishi
Marion Konishi, age 18 and the 1943 Amache Senior High valedictorian, wrote this hopeful speech while she, her family, and 120,000 others of Japanese descent were imprisoned behind barbed wire in “internment camps” scattered across the United States. Marion and her family were forced from their California home and incarcerated at the Granada Relocation Center, also known as Camp Amache, in southeastern Colorado.
The site is now preserved and memorialized as Amache National Historic Site, added to the National Park System in February 2024. In her 1943 graduation speech under the watchful eyes of guards, Marion reflected on America’s strengths and its shortcomings which her family and peers knew all too well.
Ruled by Fear
Courtesy of Amache Preservation Society, McClelland collection
Anti-Asian sentiments had long been growing in the United States, evidenced by restrictions on immigration, a path to citizenship, and ownership of property. However, tensions came to a head during World War II when Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Following the attack, many members of the public and government officials began to view anyone of Japanese descent as a national security threat. President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, authorizing the expulsion and incarceration of Japanese Americans from the west coast to government camps and facilities. A month later he established the War Relocation Authority (WRA), the federal agency responsible for carrying out and maintaining this order.
Japanese American families were given short notice to pack or dispose of their possessions. Marion's family was given 14 hours before they boarded a train to one of the temporary detention centers. The family spent weeks living in horse stables at the Santa Anita racetrack, which lacked running water and beds, prior to their permanent incarceration site at Amache.
Life at Amache
Walking through the camp entrance, new arrivals were greeted by armed police in guard towers and an expanse of industrial buildings. Their new life involved cramped and communal living spaces. The army-style blocks provided a mess hall, barracks, laundry, and bath hall. Barracks were divided into six rooms. A family of seven or fewer members was assigned to 20x24-foot room. Marion spoke in later interviews about the embarrassing lack of privacy in the doorless bathrooms of the bath halls.
The WRA provided a hospital, school, a public library, agricultural program, and other shared administrative facilities on the site. The WRA encouraged the incarcerated people to be part of the programs and took advantage of the population for cheap labor. Workers inside the camp earned $12-$19 monthly wages while workers with the same job outside the camp received $132–$164. In the three years Amache operated, over 10,000 people would pass through the camp.
Despite the circumstances, the people at Amache found a sense of community.
Courtesy of Amache Preservation Society, McClelland collection
Courtesy of Amache Preservation Society, McClelland collection
Courtesy of Amache Preservation Society, McClelland collection
The perseverance and resilience of the population at Amache is evident in these photos. In the face of being isolated from the rest of the world and treated as traitors at home, they continued to maintain ties to their culture and each other.
In December of 1944, the order enforcing the incarceration camps was lifted, but for many, it was not a simple transition. Worries of continued hostility and financial security were common. Before their forced removal, many Japanese Americans gave up their property and belongings and now had to rely on their savings. They returned to a world they weren’t sure would welcome them back.
Camp Amache closed on October 15, 1945, and the land reverted to farmland once more.
Looking Towards the Future
Left image
Credit: Courtesy of Amache Preservation Society
Right image
Credit: Ellis/NPS Photo
Sometimes America failed and suffered. Sometimes she made mistakes, great mistakes, but she always admitted them and tried to rectify all the injustice that flowed from them.
After her experience at Amache, Marion became dedicated to sharing her story to educate others. “Seeing Amache preserved in this way would have meant the world to her,” said Marion’s daughter, Anne. “My family is so grateful to see this story preserved for the future.”
The National Park Service is of course known for protecting treasured national wonders, but equally important is the mission to tell the full American story through the power of places like Amache. The commitment to share these stories extends beyond Amache. From Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park to Blackwell School National Historic Site, parks across the country are committed to telling the more complex sides of history and the stories of people fighting for their rights.
Remnants of the original foundation and road network remain at Amache today. It is a stark reminder of moments in US history when our country succumbed to fear and intolerance. Amache National Historic Site stands as a step forward in engaging the public to listen and learn from these valuable stories.
Can we the graduating class of Amache Senior High School, still believe that America means freedom, equality, security, and justice? Do [we] believe this? Do my classmates believe this? Yes, with all our hearts, because in that faith, in that hope, is my future, our future, the world’s future.