WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) praised passage of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Memorial Bill she spearheaded with Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA-01).  The bill will give National Park Service historic site status to the Japanese American Memorial at the Eagledale Ferry Dock on Bainbridge Island, WA, from which the first Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II.

 

“The dedication of this memorial will serve as an important reminder of the injustice suffered by Japanese American citizens and will provide an opportunity for future generations to learn from the past,"  said Cantwell. “Years ago, I met with the oldest surviving internee from Bainbridge, which reaffirms the importance of this memorial.  Her story, as well as thousands of others, should be shared with the entire country.  I am proud that we are finally recognizing this important part of our nation's and state's history and hope that it will be signed into law quickly.”

 

The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Memorial will be a satellite unit of the Minidoka Internment National Historic Monument.  The Minidoka site in Jerome County, Idaho marks the place where many of those forcibly removed from Bainbridge Island were eventually sent. The dock site marks the place where the first 227 Japanese Americans interned during World War II were forcibly removed from their homes and communities.Construction of the memorial began in 2006 with the help of funding from private donors and the State of Washington. 

“Less than two weeks ago, we marked the 66^th anniversary of the internment of 227 Bainbridge Islanders, the first under Executive Order 9066,” said U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA-01)), a resident of the island who has led efforts in the House to include Eagledale Ferry dock in the National Park System.  “Now that the Senate logjam has been broken, I’m optimistic we’ll be able to get this bill through the House again and signed into law before March 30, 2009.

 

 

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