The Poston Community Alliance, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit group.
We are former Poston internees, descendants of former internees and friends of the internees who were relocated to Poston, Arizona in 1942.
We are former Poston internees, descendants of former internees and friends of the internees who were relocated to Poston, Arizona in 1942.
OUR MISSION:
To restore and preserve the Poston, Arizona confinement site's remaining historic structures (located on the Colorado Indian River Tribes Reservation) for the purpose of creating a living museum and an interpretive center to tell the stories of the Japanese Americans and their internment camp experiences during World War II.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:
2003-Grant funding from the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Colorado River Indian Tribe Education Department and private donations funded a Strategic Visioning Session held at the Blue Water Resort and Casino in Parker, Arizona. Those in attendance were members of the Colorado River Indian Tribe, the local Parker, Arizona community and the Japanese American community, including former Poston internees.
2003-Grant funding from the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Colorado River Indian Tribe Education Department and private donations funded a Strategic Visioning Session held at the Blue Water Resort and Casino in Parker, Arizona. Those in attendance were members of the Colorado River Indian Tribe, the local Parker, Arizona community and the Japanese American community, including former Poston internees.
2004- The Colorado River Indian Tribal Council passed a resolution dedicating 40 acres for the historic preservation of the Poston confinement site. (Poston camp I site)
2009- Grant funding from the U.S. National Park Service for collecting and digitizing oral histories, is now being completed.
2009- Grant funding from the U.S. National Park Service for collecting and digitizing oral histories, is now being completed.
2010-Grant funding from the U.S. National Park Service for relocation and rehabilitation of a barrack obtained.
2010-Grant funding from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the barrack relocation project obtained.
CURRENT WORKS: (Last updated: 5/21/11)
1. We are working with a contractor to relocate and preserve the barrack.
2. We are working with the U.S. National Park Service to determine if the site qualifies as a 'National Historic Preservation Site'. (With the support from the National Park Service, the maintenance of the site will be secured.)
These undertakings are steps toward our long-term preservation efforts at Poston.
PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY:
1. This project has sustained itself and will continue to do so with the collaborative efforts of the Poston Community Alliance and the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
2. Maintenance of the site's property has been and will continue to be maintained by the Tribal staff and Alliance volunteers until other alternatives for maintenance are secured.
3. The Poston Monument Committee, builders of the Poston Monument-- some of which are former Poston internees, have also undertaken clean-up efforts.
4. The Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego has provided funding for the site's ongoing maintenance.
5. The documentary film, "Passing Poston: An American Story" produced by two New York filmmakers, which conveys the stories of 4 former Poston internees, has been screened nationally in film festivals, community centers and on public television. Poston has gained visibility and recognition as a historic place that is critical in understanding the American experience as it related to the civil rights struggle. Additionally the film project will generate and sustain interest in efforts toward historic preservation of the Poston confinement site through its showing at different venues beyond the Japanese American communities. The film can be viewed at museums and community centers in the Japanese American communities but also through film festivals, colleges and universities and through public television.
With our supporters, we will continue to make progress towards this multi-phase project.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Mailing address:
Poston Restoration Project
956 Hawthorne Drive
Lafayette, CA 94549
email: diannerd79 (at) yahoo (dot) com
