Mission Accomplished

“Our work is done,” announced Tom to the Densho staff this morning. “The American public, and indeed the entire world, are now well-aware of our country’s incarceration of innocent Japanese American citizens during World War II, the violation of civil liberties and its effects, to the extent that it will clearly never happen again. I hereby announce our mission has been accomplished."

Following his announcement, Tom congratulated the Densho staff on a “job well done” as he declared the Densho operations to cease and the organization officially closed for business. According to Tom, “Densho’s digital archive will live beyond the organization as it now becomes part of the Way Back Machine collection in the vast Internet Archive.”

With the mission of Densho having been reached, the staff was visibly pleased at reaching their collective goal yet somewhat surprised that it happened much sooner than expected.

“I know we’ve been working hard for the last 12 years interviewing Isseis and Niseis but I didn’t think the stories and lessons learned would have spread so far and wide so quickly!” exclaimed Dana Hoshide, who has personally processed hundreds of visual histories. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done but I’ll miss the interview trips and the people we’ve met from Hawaii to New Jersey.”

The news of Densho’s closing was a bitter-sweet moment for Patricia Kiyono, in charge of Communications and Education Outreach at Densho. “We have been working with teachers and educators and had so many wonderful ideas and creative ways of engaging students with Densho’s rich collection of visual histories. It’s a shame that all of that curriculum will not see the light of day, but I take comfort in knowing that such a mistake our country made with the incarceration will never happen again.”

Densho’s Operation Manager, Virginia Yamada, reflected on the many contributors and volunteers that made Densho possible. “If I could give every one of them a hug I would do it!” beamed Virginia as she held up the list of donors that filled several pages. “The donations, volunteers, and public support over the years have been tremendous. We can all be proud that the time and money spent was well worth it.”

Naoko Magasis, in charge of Special Events, was excited by the announcement, yet disappointed knowing there would be no more Sushi & Sake Festivals. “I’m pleased to know our work made a difference in the world, but I also looked forward to the Sushi & Sake event every year. Maybe we can have one more to celebrate!”

The newest member of the Densho staff, Dan Benson, was rather stunned at the announcement. “Hey, I just got here and it’s over already?” queried Dan, as he finished his third and final posting on Densho’s blog on this April Fool’s Day of 2009.