About MACCC
Background
In the spring of 2008, the Merced Assembly Center Committee was formed due to the efforts of Congressman Dennis Cardoza. Rep. Cardoza wanted a monument to educate the community about that tragic time in 1942 when 4,669 internees of Japanese ancestry were sent to the Merced Assembly Center (on the Merced County Fairgrounds) for approximately 3 months before being sent to Amache, Colorado for the duration of the War. They committed no crime, but simply looked like the enemy.
The committee is called the Merced Assembly Center Commemorative Committee (MACCC) and has taken on the project to design and finance this memorial structure at the Merced County Fairgrounds. This committee is part of the Livingston-Merced Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) working with the Cortez Chapter of the JACL.
The Advisory Committee
In addition to the formation of the MACCC, an Advisory Committee consisting of influential community members has been formed to lend support to this Project. This Advisory Committee has been instrumental in garnering support for this project. The members of the Advisory Committee are:
Goals and Timeline
The MACCC met with the Fairgrounds Board in November, 2008, to get approval for the site of the monument. The Board was very receptive and gracious in granting us 600 square feet of space in a prime spot at the Fairgrounds. The project kick off took place at our annual Day of Remembrance Dinner on February 21, 2009. Congressmen Dennis Cardoza and Mike Honda from San Jose were the keynote speakers. Rep. Honda has a special interest in this project because he spent 3 months in the Merced Assembly Center as a child. Floyd Mori, the national Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) director was also in attendance.
In conjunction with the planning and installation of the Memorial, a seminar about the Internment Experience was sponsored by the Japanese American Citizens League for the local social studies teachers. The seminar took place on April 4, 2009. We would like to see a series of newspaper articles and interviews on this topic during the life of this project.
Merced Assembly Center Memorial Dedicated on Feb. 20, 2010
Over the past 2 years, the Committee with the support and help of many people has designed and built a memorial to honor those who were incarcerated at the Merced Assembly Center and to serve as a reminder that this injustice must never again occur. The memorial consists of a collection of bronze suitcases piled on top of each other, with name and identification tags hanging from the handles. A small girl is sitting on one of the suitcases looking confused and sad. Five story boards describing this historical event are placed around the bronze statue . Five benches with the names of the ten internment camp engraved on the sides of the benches are also placed around the statue. A “Wall of Internees” names has been built to honor those who were incarcerated.
The Memorial was unveiled and dedicated on February 20th, 2010. The event was a huge success thanks to the support of many individuals, the Merced County Fair Board, Merced Country Supervisors, Civic Groups, and the Community. Around 1,500 people attended the Dedication and 875 people attended the Dinner. The Committee continues seeking grants and donations to help finance this $300,000 project. Future endeavors will involve educating the public about the significance of this incarceration in America’s history.
Contact Persons
Bob Taniguchi 383-5161 John Kirihara 658-1366
Patti Kishi 769-7543 Sherman Kishi 394-2261
Tom Nakashima 394-2241 Grace Kimoto 394-2456
Marlene Tanioka 722-6429 Ed Nakade 358-8617