Redondo Beach Historical Markers Dedicated to Ito Family

RAFU STAFF REPORT

The City of Redondo Beach on Sept. 28 unveiled three new historical markers honoring the Ito family and preserving the history of the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans.

The markers are located in a parkette designated as the Ito Family Open Space, on the corner of Flagler Lane and Ripley avenue.

City officials taking part in the unveiling included Mayor Jim Light, Mayor Pro Tem Brad Waller (District 1), Councilmember Chadwick Castle (District 2), Councilmember Paige Kaluderovic (District 3), and Councilmember Scott Behrendt (District 5).

“I had the honor of presiding over the formal unveiling of three interpretive signs at the Ito Family Parkette,” Light said in a statement after the event. “Kimi and Tomo Ito married and settled in Redondo just days before President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 forced all Japanese Americans into camps. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Itos were interned at Poston camp in Arizona. They volunteered so that they could stay together, and they helped prepare the camp for the others who would arrive after them.

“After the Japanese Americans were freed from camps, the Itos eventually returned to Redondo and contributed greatly to our community. It is good and fitting that we recognize that even great democracies like the United States of America can do bad things. It is important we not sweep these actions under the carpet, and that we hold them up to future generations so that they can learn from past mistakes and avoid repeating them.

“The Ito family was represented at the event by Kimi and Tomo’s daughters Helene and Teri. We can’t fix the wrong done to their parents, but we can remember the wrong they persevered through and honor their legacy and resiliency.”

Light thanked Ron Maroko of the Public Amenities Commission and Linda Aust, facility director of the Redondo Beach Historical Society, for their role in bringing the parkette and interpretive signs to fruition and Mara Lang of the South Bay Parkland Conservancy for helping with the final editing of the signs.

On behalf of the Ito family, Helene Albright and Teri Ito Abbott thanked the city for the recognition of their parents and grandparents.

The first sign, titled “Ito Family Open Space,” reads as follows: “The story of the Ito family reflects a defining chapter in American history — one of perseverance, displacement, and enduring community ties.

“In 1918, Takao and Vera Ume Sakai moved their family to Redondo Beach after immigrating to the United States from Hiroshima, Japan in 1905. Their elder daughter, Kimiko (“Kimi”), was born in Los Angeles in 1914. She graduated from Redondo Union High School in 1931.

“On April 5, 1942, Kimi married Tomo Ito, an Eagle Scout and a Stanford-educated geologist who worked as a metallurgist prior to World War II.

“Just weeks later, Kimi and Tomo were forcibly removed from their home in Redondo Beach under Executive Order 9066 and sent to the Colorado River War Relocation center — also known as Poston — in Arizona’s Lower Sonoran Desert. There, they lived in barracks alongside thousands of other Japanese Americans who were unjustly removed from their West Coast communities during World War II. While at Poston, Kimi worked as a dental assistant and Tomo served as a block manager.

“Kimi’s parents were first detained at the Tuna Canyon Detention Center in Tujunga, California, and later transferred to the Manzanar War Relocation Center in Independence, California. After leaving Poston, Kimi and Tomo relocated to Salt Lake City, where Tomo worked as a laboratory analyst. Duringthistime, the couple welcomed their two daughters, Teri and Helene.

“In 1947, both the Ito and Sakai families returned to Redondo Beach. The Ito family lived for many years on Havemeyer Lane near Jefferson Elementary School. Like their mother, Teri and Helene later graudated from Redondo Union High School.

“Tomo was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1971, and Kimi cared for him for many years. After his passing, Kimi founded the Parkinson’s Support Group at the Beach Cities Health District and serve as its director until she was in her 90s.

“Takao passed away in 1970, Ume in 1974, Tomi in 1986, and Kimi in 2017.”

The marker includes photos of Kimi and Tomo Ito at their Redondo Beach home in 1989 and Kimi as a young woman.

The second sign, titled “Japanese American Internment,” reads: “In the uncertain weeks after the attack at Pearl Harbor, many Americans — particularly those on the Pacific Coast — feared additional enemy activities and saw danger in every corner.

“These fears, combined with racial prejudice, led to a great injustice. Early in 1942, civilian and military leaders on the West Coast charged that members of the region’s large Japanese American community might be working with Japan’s military to plan acts of sabotage. Though no serious evidence of this existed, they pushed the Roosevelt Administration for action.

“On February 19, 1942, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which led to the forced evacuation of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. More than two-thirds of these people were native-born American citizens. They were confined to inland internment camps operated by the military.”

The photo on this panel shows incarcerees waiting for registration at Santa Anita Assembly Center. Visible in the background are the horse stalls where many of them were forced to live.

The third sign, titled “Exec Order 9066,” reads, in part: “The attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941 resulted in widespread concern of future enemy attacks. As a result, Executive Order 9066 was issued, which required Japanese Americans to relocate to inland internment camps throughout World War II. Abruptly forced to abandon or sell their homes and businesses, many lost everything they owned.

“Despite this injustice, thousands of young Japanese American men living in the camps volunteered to serve in the nation’s military, where they distinguished themselves in combat. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), comprised entirely of Japanese Americans, became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service.”

The panel features photos of barracks at Manzanar and Poston.

The Redondo Beach officials were joined by Torrance City Councilmember Asam Sheikh, who discussed plans to build the World War II Camp Wall in his city, and Lisa Akiyama Robinson, field representative for State Sen. Ben Allen.

The Ito Family Open Space was dedicated in 2021 by Mayor Bill Brand, the City Council and other city officials.