A Hello to Manzanar

My visit to the Manzanar National Historic Site

In what you may consider bizarre, I asked my two oldest sons to go with me to the Manzanar National Historic Site for my 70th birthday. These are pictures from our visit.

A little background: from 1942 to 1945 the U.S. government imprisoned approximately 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans because they were deemed a threat to national security during World War II. “Threat to national security,” have you heard that recently?

Manzanar held approximately 10,000 men, women, and children. It is located approximately 230 miles north of Los Angeles at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed executive order 9066 to establish Manzanar and nine other camps around the United States.

Two-thirds of the prisoners were native-born American citizens. Yes, you read that right, the U.S. government imprisoned its own citizens solely based on their race. Many went on to serve in the military for the country that imprisoned them and their families. Yes, you read that right too.

I was born and raised in Hawaii where the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans was much smaller—approximately, 3,000 people. In fact, I had never even heard of the internment of Japanese-Americans until I went to college.

In what can only be described as a sad, small-world story, a surfing buddy’s father was imprisoned there. I was able to find his intake record in the exhibit. He is still alive, and I have met him.

Why am I posting my pictures? Because the rhetoric of the 2024 presidential campaign indicates that this could happen again—perhaps in an even bigger and crueler manner.

Executive Order 9066 is a stain on U.S. history. Something like this should never happen again, so vote as if people’s rights depended on it because they do.

Remarkable People Podcast News

In my latest episode, legend Seth Godin joins me to discuss the art of strategy. Drawing from his latest book, This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans, Godin challenges listeners to rethink their approach to decision-making, audience targeting, and creating value.

He introduces concepts like the “smallest viable audience” and shares insights on navigating change in business and life. This conversation is packed with practical wisdom for entrepreneurs, marketers, and anyone looking to make a meaningful impact in their field.

Tune in here!

Mahalo!

Guy