Threatened: Terminal Island, Port of Los Angeles, CA

Noted in an earlier post about the bridges of Yosemite Valley, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has recently posted its America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places that included two California sites. The second, Terminal Island at the Port of Los Angeles, is threatened with continued demolition over adaptive reuse by the Port Authority.

Looking into California's past sometimes exposes events that challenge us. During WWII, Terminal Island was one such venue where its community of Japanese-Americans was relocated to the Manzanar internment camp. Their experience was well captured in Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston's book, Farewell to Manzanar. Places like Terminal Island and Manzanar enable us to openly discuss difficult subjects like racism, internment, and war. Without them, we are left vulnerable to missed discussions, reflections, and the risk of repeating horrific mistakes.

Update: A Southern California Public Radio posting provided a little more information about the site, and an intriguing video clip of a WWII newscast explaining the government's version of why Japanese-Americans were relocated.