Yonsei Memory Project at Gila River

Our programming in 2019 took us to many places. We concluded the year with a powerful trip to Gila River, Arizona, where many of our Valley friends and families were incarcerated during World War II. Both before and after the trip, we hosted story circles and memory exchanges.

We've been using the term "memory keeping" lately, inspired by the title "The Memory Keepers" of a Vogue piece that was published in Spring of 2019. It takes energy and commitment to make space in our daily lives to remember our ancestors and our histories. It is difficult to work in and with and through community, to hold space for truths to live. It takes spiritual courage to remember past suffering and maintain hope for healing and the future. It is heavy to think about the stories we've lost already. We have learned a lot, and perhaps have more questions now than when we started Yonsei Memory Project, but what remains is a feeling of significance: the work of memory keeping is vital.