MCGEHEE, Ark. — The City of McGhee will be commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the World War II Japanese American Internment Museum on Thursday, May 4th.
The ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. at 100 South Railroad Street in McGehee’s historic railroad depot.
Two hundred former internees and family members will be traveling from California to commemorate the history of local camps and their residents.
The City of McGhee will be commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the World War II Japanese American Internment Museum on Thursday, May 4th.
Actor George Takei, famous for his role in Star Trek among other things, will be present as a special guest.
Takei lived with his family at the Rohwer, Arkansas camp when he was five years old.
He has visited the museum several times, including during its grand opening in 2013, as well as the fifth anniversary in 2018.
The museum pays tribute to all the Japanese Americans confined in barbed wire fence camps across the U.S. during World War II, including two camps in southeast Arkansas at Rohwer and Jerome.
During the 1940s, 17,000 Japanese Americans were forced to live in Arkansas of the nearly 120,000 people displaced.
The museum is funded by the McGehee Industrial Foundation and the City of McGehee. Since the museum’s opening, many families have donated oral histories and other cherished memorabilia.
Visitors can view the exhibit “Against Their Will,” created by UALR students and donated by the Delta Cultural Center of Helena. It features photographs, stories, and artifacts.
A reception and tours will follow the ceremony.