Helpers needed at community event at Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial

Published 11:30 am Sunday, February 16, 2020

Bainbridge Island will commemorate the 78th anniversary of the signing of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 with a community event on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Inspired by the unique legacy of a community that welcomed their Japanese American friends and neighbors home after World War II, everyone is welcome to gather for “service and community” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. Volunteers will gather to do landscaping maintenance and improvements to the national historic site, located at Pritchard Park, 4192 Eagle Harbor Drive.

Work on the memorial site will be done in preparation for the upcoming March 30th commemoration of the first Japanese Americans to be forcibly removed and excluded from the West Coast during World War II.

Hosted by the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association and generous support from the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District, everyone is invited and welcome to pitch in and help.

Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing for work and weather, gloves and bring their own gardening tools.