Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Honolulu Council honors 10th anniversary of Honouliuli National Historic Site
Loading...
Summary
The Honolulu City Council presented an honorary certificate recognizing the 10th anniversary of the Honouliuli National Historic Site and thanked partners who helped secure its preservation and public interpretation.
Council Member Brandon Wier presented an honorary certificate recognizing the 10th anniversary of the Honouliuli National Historic Site and thanked community and institutional partners for preserving the site.
The council’s presentation noted that Honouliuli, a former World War II internment and prisoner-of-war site located in a Gulch on Oahu, held prisoners between 1943 and 1946 from Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Italy and Taiwan and “hundreds of American civilians” primarily of Japanese, German and Italian ancestry. Council Member Wier said the site “was rediscovered and in 2015 designated as a national monument by President Barack Obama” and now operates as the Honouliuli National Historic Site under the stewardship of the National Park Service.
Wier credited partners including Bayer Hawaii, the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu, the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i, the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and the Honolulu Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League for helping preserve the site and support education about its history. He said educators and students across Hawai‘i continue to study the site “and engage in conversations about justice, inclusion, and democracy.”
Representatives and community members who were acknowledged in the chamber included Carol Hayashino (former president and CEO, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i), Nate Kiyotoku (current president and CEO, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i), Alan Takemoto (Bayer Hawaii liaison), David Lassner (former president, University of Hawai‘i), Maynard Benham (Chancellor, University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu), Ken Inouye (University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu), Greg Mark (executive director, Hawai‘i Plantation Village), Eileen Utterdike (president, Pacific Historic Parks), Naomi Yoshida (Japanese American Citizens League, Honolulu Chapter), descendants and family representatives (including Sandy Chang and Wanda Fukunaga), Micah Mizukami (associate director, UH oral and cultural studies), Joyce Chenin (director, UH Center for Okinawan Studies), Christine Ogura (superintendent, National Park Service Honouliuli), and Gian Shiraishi Resowitz (National Park Service staff).
The council read a resolved statement in the chamber honoring the site and extending “its deepest appreciation to the many individuals and organizations whose dedication has preserved this site and its legacy.” The presentation in the transcript is ceremonial; no roll-call vote or ordinance number is recorded in the transcript.
The council and presenters framed the recognition as both a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of federal designation (2015) and a reaffirmation of ongoing local education and preservation efforts.
