GARDENA — Join the 44th annual community-wide Manzanar Pilgrimage at the Manzanar National Historic Site, located in the Owens Valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, on Saturday, April 27.
The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute, 1964 W. 162nd St. (at Gramercy Place) in Gardena, is offering round-trip transportation to Manzanar. The cost is $40 general, $30 for youth under 18. The deadline for reservations is Friday, April 19.
Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cancellations with full refund are allowed up to April 19.
The bus is equipped with a restroom. There will be one stop along the route. Bring a brown-bag lunch or pre-order bento boxes (chicken karaage) and drinks for $5.
Manzanar was the site of a U.S. World War II concentration camp that was used to forcibly house Americans of Japanese descent from 1942 to 1945. At the program, former Assemblymember Warren Furutani, one of the participants in the first Manzanar Pilgrimage in 1969, will receive the Sue Kunitomi Embrey Legacy Award and Karen Korematsu, co-founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education, will be the featured speaker.
Following the main program, GVJCI participants can take part in the interfaith service and ondo or visit the Manzanar Interpretive Center (recommended for first-time visitors and families).
For a registration form or more information, call (310) 324-6611 or email info@jci-gardena.org.
The itinerary:
6:30 a.m. — Depart from GVJCI
11:30 a.m. — Arrive at Manzanar
12 p.m. — Manzanar Pilgrimage program begins
1:30 p.m. (approximate) — Visit Manzanar Interpretive Center or participate in community interfaith ceremony and ondo
3 p.m. — Depart Manzanar
8 p.m. — Return to GVJCI
On the Web:
Manzanar Committee
Manzanar National Historic Site
Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute