[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 8 (Thursday, January 20, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E83-E84]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE TO THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM ON THE OCCASION OF 
   THE PRIVATE NONPROFIT NATIONAL INSTITUTION'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
SHARING THE EXPERIENCES OF AMERICANS OF JAPANESE ANCESTRY IN THE UNITED 
STATES AND IN RECOGNITION OF ITS RECEIPT OF AMERICA'S HIGHEST HONOR FOR 
                                MUSEUMS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 20, 2011

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
Japanese American National Museum, the private nonprofit national 
institution dedicated to sharing the experiences of Americans of 
Japanese ancestry in the United States.

[[Page E84]]

  Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of Downtown Los Angeles 
in the 34th Congressional District, I had the privilege of nominating 
the Japanese American National Museum for an especially prestigious 
honor. The Institute of Museums and Library Services bestowed upon the 
museum its National Medal in recognition of the museum's 
``extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social 
contributions.'' The museum was one of only 10 institutions in 2010 to 
receive the institute's National Medal--America's highest honor for 
museums. The Japanese American National Museum is only the second 
museum located in California to be recognized with this national 
distinction.
  The concept for the museum originated more than 25 years ago when 
members of the Japanese American community realized that their 
families' storied history was being lost to time. The families 
especially wanted to preserve for future generations the stories of the 
tremendous hardships endured by Japanese Americans during World War II. 
During this time, thousands of Japanese American families lost their 
homes, their businesses and most of what they owned when the United 
States Government unconscionably incarcerated them in detention camps.
  Despite this injustice, many Japanese Americans responded to the 
military needs of our country during World War II with great patriotic 
fervor. The famed 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental 
Combat Team--made up almost entirely of Japanese Americans--became the 
most decorated units for their size and length of service in the 
history of our Armed Forces. In addition, Japanese Americans who became 
members of the United States Military Intelligence Service during World 
War II saved thousands of American lives by using their Japanese-
language skills to serve our country as translators, interrogators and 
code breakers in the Pacific Theatre.
  In 1985, the museum was founded as an almost all-volunteer 
organization composed of 13 different committees and only one full-time 
staff member with no permanent site and no endowment. In 1992, the 
museum renovated an important historic building for their headquarters 
and then expanded to a modern Pavilion in 1999. Throughout this time, 
the Japanese American National Museum became the repository of the 
history of people of Japanese ancestry in the United States, collecting 
more than 80,000 artifacts, photographs, documents and ephemera (such 
as letters, posters, and newspaper articles) that help to preserve and 
share their stories with all Americans.
  An average of 25,000 students annually make visits to the Japanese 
American National Museum, guided by volunteers who lived through much 
of this amazing history. Visitors to the museum learn about the 
commonalities of the Japanese American experience with that of other 
ethnic groups in our country as part of the museum's core exhibition 
entitled, ``Common Ground: The Heart of Community.''
  The museum's new exhibition entitled, ``Fighting for Democracy: Who 
is the 'We' in 'We, the People'?'' features profiles of seven people of 
various backgrounds and ethnicities who actively supported the American 
war effort, but who also wanted our democracy to truly serve all the 
people in the post-World War II era. This exhibition has traveled to 
the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, the National Archives 
and the Tuskegee National Institute Historic Site in Alabama.
  The museum also organized a five-state educational project entitled, 
``Enduring Communities: The Japanese American Experience in Arizona, 
Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.'' The 3-year project--which 
involved local institutions within each state--culminated with a 
national conference in Denver in 2008 attended by teachers, scholars 
and the people from the communities who lived this history.
  Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the museum's 25th Anniversary and its 
receipt of the Institute of Museums and Library Services' National 
Medal, I ask my congressional colleagues to please join me and the 
residents of the 34th Congressional District in congratulating the 
Japanese American National Museum for its extraordinary achievements. I 
congratulate Museum President and CEO Akemi Kikumura Yano, the members 
of the museum's Board of Governors and Board of Trustees and all of the 
community members whose dedication to preserving the Japanese American 
story make the museum the local and national treasure that it is today. 
I wish the museum and everyone involved in its growth and educational 
mission many more years of continued success.

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