Introduction to the Inyo County Referendum by Frank Hays, Superintendent, Manzanar National Historic Site.

The residents of Inyo County are never far from a reminder of what can happen to our Constitution and American citizens during a time of war. Manzanar National Historic Site, located near the center of the county, was established on March 3, 1992 to protect and interpret the historical, cultural, and natural resources associated with the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The park preserves much of the remnants of the Manzanar War Relocation Center where over 11,000 Japanese Americans were interned from 1942-1945 without being afforded the right of due process of law.

The site is often the center of dialogue in Inyo County, both supportive and not supportive. In any case, this ongoing dialogue has informed the citizens of the civil and human rights issues surrounding the internment. More importantly, this ongoing dialogue about events surrounding Manzanar informed an open dialogue of civil and human rights issues surrounding the 9/11 tragedy, and I believe, ultimately led to the adoption of the resolution calling for tolerance of Arab Americans during this time of turmoil and war.

Manzanar National Historic Site and similar sites should play a role in effectively communicating the lessons of history, so to help ensure that the dignity of the human individual is not diminished in America or the world. With this in mind, I am reminded of a quote by Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes quoted by Michi Nishura Weglyn in the book Years of Infamy that states:

You may think that the Constitution is your security-it is nothing but a piece of paper. You may think that statutes are your security-they are nothing but words in a book. You may think that elaborate mechanism of government is your security-it is nothing at all, unless you have sound and uncorrupted public opinion to give life to your Constitution, to give vitality to your statutes, to make efficient your government machinery (1996, p.32).

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