More than 6,000 signatures have been presented on a petition to the National Park Service supporting the preservation of Hawaii’s Honouliuli Internment Camp, reports West Hawaii Today.
The prison which opened in 1943 was the largest and longest used incarceration camp in Hawaii.
Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell visited the area last year which once held 175 buildings, 14 guard towers and more than 400 tents on the 160 acre site.
US Senator Brian Schatz along with the Honolulu Japanese American Citizens League and Japanese American Cultural Center of Hawaii are joining to lobby to make Honouliuli part of the National Park Service.
“JACL-Honolulu is pleased that Honouliuli Internment Camp is one step closer to receiving the recognition it deserves. It is a symbol of what can happen when fear and prejudice dictate policy in our country — and why we must counter racism and prejudice in any form,” said Jacce Mikulanec, president of JACL-Honolulu Chapter.
