A conference, Honouring Our People: Stories of the Internment, takes place this weekend (September 25-27) at the Nikkei Centre in Burnaby. The following two pieces were printed in the September Bulletin and I thought I’d run them here in advance of the conference.
Greg Miyanaga
When I think of the internment and relocation, I have mixed feelings.
My grandparents on my father’s side were relocated from Mission, BC, to the sugar beet fields of Taber, Alberta. My family did not talk about what happened to them, and it was much later that I found out what they went through. I was angry that my grandparents and so many others had to endure such hatred, loss, and injustice.
Now, I have slightly different feelings. When I think of Japanese Canadians who went through internment and relocation, I don’t just think of them as victims, I think of them as survivors, as heroes. I am so proud of my grandparents and all the Japanese Canadians who were interned and relocated. For them to come through the war years, and the ensuing aftermath, is a triumph of the human spirit.