Honouliuli Education Center
In 2016, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i (JCCH) was proud to officially open the new Honouliuli National Historic Site – JCCH Education Center on October 22 with Shintō and Buddhist blessings and congratulatory remarks from some of Hawai‘i’s elected officials. Families of former Honouliuli incarcerees were in attendance to witness the blessing and dedication.
The new education center, located in the JCCH Community Gallery in Mō‘ili‘ili, adjoins the permanent exhibition on the history of Japanese in Hawai‘i and features photos of the Honouliuli Internment Camp, artifacts from the incarcerees, oral history videos and virtual tours of the Honouliuli National Historic Site. The center provides students, teachers and the community an opportunity to learn more about the new national monument, its history and lessons for the future.
“The Honouliuli Education Center at the JCCH will be a gathering place for students, teachers, the local community and visitors to learn about the unique wartime experience of Japanese Americans in Hawai‘i,” said Carole Hayashino, president and executive director of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i. “It will be a place for us to reflect upon the lessons of war, civil liberties, peace and reconciliation.”
Since rediscovering the site in 2002, the JCCH has worked to preserve the historical site as a national monument and, more recently, a national historic site. In addition to successfully preserving the site, the JCCH produced the documentary film on Hawai‘i’s internment, “The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawai‘i,” translated and published two memoirs written by former internees, produced a curriculum guide for high school social studies teachers and distributed the curriculum resources to high schools throughout the state.
The Honouliuli National Historic Site – JCCH Education Center is the result of a partnership between the JCCH and the Freeman Foundation, Monsanto Hawaii, and JTB Hawaii Inc.
“It has been an honor to partner with JCCH on this initiative and we’re very proud to see the Honouliuli Education Center come to fruition,” said Alan Takemoto, community affairs manager at Monsanto Hawaii. “Monsanto’s commitment to preserving the Honouliuli Internment Camp site began nearly seven years ago when we first purchased the land in Kunia, and we look forward to continuing the momentum of raising awareness about this important piece of history through JCCH’s many education initiatives.”