Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Cardoza announced the allocation of a $25,000 grant to help fund the Japanese Internment Memorial at the Merced County Fairgrounds.

“This is among the most worthy efforts I have undertaken during my time in public service,” said Congressman Cardoza. “Our community has accomplished a great deal. This memorial is long overdue and it is a tremendous feeling to know that what happened all of those years ago will not be forgotten.”

Congressman Cardoza has been closely working with the Japanese American Citizens League to bring a memorial to the fairgrounds, which served as the Merced Assembly Center during World War II. The location was a reporting site for 4,669 Japanese-Americans who were relocated to internment camps.

In February, Congressman Cardoza introduced legislation in the House of Representatives calling for Congressional recognition of the site as a memorial. The legislation, H. Res. 129, paved the way for approval of the grant, awarded today by the National Park Service.

The grant will help pay for five interpretive storyboards at the Merced County Fairgrounds and a documentary film to be shared with teachers and schools. Additionally, the memorial will include a wall listing the names of those who passed through the center, and a sculpture consisting of suitcases stacked on top of each other with a forlorn-looking girl sitting on top.

“It’s great that there has been such a level of interest in maintaining the awareness  of what happened in Merced County during World War II,” said Patti Kishi, Co-Chair of the Merced Assembly Center Committee. “We could not be more pleased with this. It is so wonderful to see the support of the community and a desire to help and understand what happened in our community all those years ago.”