We are so sad and are missing Mr.George Nakata, who passed away last week.
We are also very thankful to have had a chance to get to know this amazing person, and that Oregon Buddhist Temple was a part of his talk event, KODOMO NO TAMENI : for the sake of our children.
On November 24th, 2018, George shared his experiences and thoughts of Issei Pioneers, Portland Japantown, World War II, desolate camp of Minidoka, Resettlement and more. We heard how Nihonmachi came to be, we heard about being incarcerated behind barbed wires, we heard the impact of Executive Order #9066, about facing overt prejudice, and about being stripped of human rights and freedom. The words, "for the sake of our children" were repeated by first generation Japanese American people as they endured their days in the camp, to keep going on.
"Kodomo no tameni: for the sake of our children" was a rare chance to hear stories of one Japanese American – reflecting back upon Nikkei roots. A chance to Listen and Learn. Most such experiences absent from American history books.
Please watch / rewatch the video of amazing George Nakata and his stories.
Thank you for sharing your passion and your stories, George.
We will miss you, but your stories will live on.