The NVC Foundation hosted a tour of the NVC Memorial Hall on September 26th, for a group of Japanese language students from the Robert Eagle Staff Middle School. The students listened to presentations by incarceration survivors Mary Tanaka Abo and Paul Tomita and asked pointed questions afterwards.
These same pupils learned from speaker Mary Abo that she had been forced to move by ship as a child from her home in what was then the Territory of Alaska to the Minidoka prison camp located in the arid high desert of Jerome, Idaho.
The middle school learners also heard Paul Tomita talk about being sent as a toddler to Minidoka. There he barely survived due to his asthma being severely aggravated by the intense dust.
The speakers later commented on how impressed they were by the students’ sense of interest. “They were the most prepared students of any group we have ever seen.”
During the tour, past NVC Foundation President Geri Lynne Egeler engaged with these young people in the Go for Broke Room. She explained the cultural and historical significance behind the museum artifacts. Upstairs in the NVC Military Museum (Medal of Honor Room), NVC Commander Dale Watanabe gave background stories and a touching history of the brave Nikkei soldiers who are honored in the illuminated displays.
Seattle Public School Japanese language teacher Kelli L. Spann and five of the school’s adult volunteers accompanied the students on the guided tour. Foundation member volunteer Dorothy Muto-Coleman provided additional needed support.
[Note: To continue their experiential education, teacher Kelli l. Spann and some of her Japanese language students are planning a trip to Japan.]
