Manzanar was the first concentration camp in California, euphemistically called a "relocation center", that opened in March 1942 after President Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066 on February 19th of the same year. Here, over 10,000 Japanese men, women and children were incarcerated by the U.S. Government. Nationally, over 120,000 Japanese were imprisoned based on a "military necessity" during WWII. Over two thirds of these people were American citizens who were deprived of their rights guaranteed by the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
This book is the result of having frequently visited this National Historic Site during the early and late 90's before the National Park Service was given the responsibility of its management and interpretation. Most of the images were taken during those excursions. "Manzanar Metaphors" represents my personal reaction to what happened here and, although researched heavily, is not meant to be a scholarly work.