Tears flowed during an emotional ceremony dedicating Hawaii’s largest incarceration camp as a national monument, reports Hawaii Now.
Honouliuli held 400 civilians of Japanese and European descent as well as 4,000 prisoners of war during World War II.
It was largely kept a secret until the Japanese Cultural Center uncovered it in 2002.
Rev. Todd Takahashi blessed the site. His aunt spent 18 months imprisoned there.
“Personally for my family, it means that the story of the internees and the POWs, regardless if they were Japanese, Korean, Okinawan, Polish, whatever, their stories get to be told and it’s not hidden anymore,” he said.
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You can read more about future plans and public access to the site in Hawaii Now.
Also check out this article on the seven things you need to know about Honouliuli in Honolulu Magazine.