Japanese internment memorial story

Tucked away in downtown San Jose on top of a granite dais, stands a bronze two-sided mural depicting the hardships and prejudice towards thousands of men, women and children.

The Japanese Internment Memorial created by Ruth Asawa depicts a dark period in American history of the Japanese internment.

Bronze men, women and children step off a boat with determination in their faces to make a successful life, but their faces soon turn into anguish as the realization of their caged reality sets in.

A single strip of barbed wire stretches along both sides of the mural fencing in these bronze figures.

Scenes of people rushing to pack and sell their belongings as officials stand guard vacating them and forcing them into buses.

Signs border buildings revealing evacuation sales, suitcases litter the ground and long lines of families stand hand-in-hand awaiting their fate. 

A single farmer kneeling on the ground is surrounded by a pair of men in suits gripping his shoulder — an intimidation tactic. 

The start of a life full of horrors.

Sniper towers and soldiers baring guns awaited those entering the internment camps.

Somehow in the worst conditions of their lives, the Japanese Americans managed to make the most of their situation.

Children are gathered around playing marbles, a game of volleyball goes on in the background and both the young and old are writing and drawing.

The Japanese Americans never gave up in the face of horrific adversity.