Contact: Gann Matsuda
Voice: (310) 825-2488
E-mail: publicrelations -at- manzanarcommittee.org

March 25, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES -- The 40th Manzanar Pilgrimage, sponsored by the Los Angeles-based Manzanar Committee, is scheduled for 12:00 PM PDT on Saturday, April 25, 2009, at the Manzanar National Historic Site, located on US Highway 395 in California's Owens Valley, between the towns of Lone Pine and Independence, approximately 230 miles north of Los Angeles.

Each year, hundreds of students, teachers, community members, clergy and former internees attend the Pilgrimage. Planning continues for the afternoon event as well as for the Manzanar At Dusk program, scheduled for 5:00 PM that same evening at the Lone Pine High School Gymnasium, located approximately nine miles south of the Manzanar National Historic Site.

"Over the years thousands have journeyed to Manzanar to honor those incarcerated in America's concentration camps," said Bruce Embrey, Co-Chair, Manzanar Committee. "For forty years, the Manzanar Pilgrimage has been held to remember, to honor and to demand that our government never violate anyone's constitutional rights."

"The Pilgrimage has been an event for young and old to remember and to remind us that we all must remain vigilant to defend the constitutional rights of all people," added Embrey.

Further details about the Pilgrimage and the Manzanar At Dusk program, which are funded in part by the Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki Community Outreach Program Fund, will be announced at a later date.

Bus transportation to the Pilgrimage will be available from Los Angeles, departing at 7:00 AM on April 25, arriving at the Manzanar National Historic Site at approximately 11:00 AM.

The early return bus departs from the site at 4:30 PM, returning to Los Angeles at approximately 8:30 PM. The second bus departs after the Manzanar At Dusk program, and arrives in Los Angeles around midnight.

Reservations are now being accepted from members of the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. For further information or to make a reservation, call (323) 662-5102 or send e-mail to 40thbuses -at- manzanarcommittee.org. The non-refundable fare is $30.00 per seat if reserved by April 11 or $40.00 after that date. Parking is available for an additional $6.00.

Pilgrimage participants are advised bring their own lunch, drinks and snacks as there are no facilities to purchase food at the Manzanar National Historic Site (restaurants and fast food outlets are located in Lone Pine and Independence, which are nearby). Water will be provided at the site.

The Manzanar Committee is dedicated to educating and raising public awareness about the incarceration and violation of civil rights of persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II and to the continuing struggle of all peoples when Constitutional rights are in danger. A non-profit organization that has sponsored the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage since 1969, along with other educational programs, the Manzanar Committee has also played a key role in the establishment and continued development of the Manzanar National Historic Site. For more information, call (323) 662-5102 or check their web site at http://www.manzanarcommittee.org and their blog at http://blog.manzanarcommittee.org.

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