By Emma Rault, Columnist
Last month saw the annual Terminal Islanders picnic. For more than fifty years, this multigenerational gathering has brought together the people who once called Terminal Island home and their descendants.
This year’s picnic took place not long after it came to light that the Port of Los Angeles is considering demolishing the only two surviving buildings from this community.
For over 40 years, Terminal Island — the manmade island connecting the twin ports of LA and Long Beach — was home to a thriving community of first- and second-generation Japanese Americans. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, amid a wave of anti-Japanese paranoia, they were forcibly displaced and imprisoned in concentration camps.
Soon after, the Navy bulldozed most of the Japanese fishing village. This added a new level of trauma to this dark chapter in Japanese American history — none of the Terminal Islanders ever went home again.
All that remains of historic Tāminaru today are two store buildings on Tuna Street, which used to be the main commercial thoroughfare.
The Port’s proposal to demolish them — described by author and historian Naomi Hirahara, when she spoke to Random Lengths in May, as “kind of like a replay” of the Navy’s razing of the fishing village back in 1942 — has triggered widespread community outcry.
More than half a dozen people spoke out against it at the Harbor Commission meeting on May 23rd. That same month, the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council passed a motion strongly opposing the demolition.
It was also a hot topic at the Terminal Islanders picnic, which took place in the city of Buena Park. In written comments delivered by secretary Midori Sanchez, incoming president Terry Hara urged those in attendance to make their views heard.
Almost two hundred people signed a paper petition that was passed around and Vice President Donna Reiko Cottrell told Random Lengths there were so many new people wanting to join the organization that they ran out of membership forms.
Three longtime members gave speeches calling for the preservation of historic Tuna Street. A shortened version of their remarks follows below.
The day also featured live music, ondo — a traditional circle dance, in which everyone is invited to join-in — the traditional tossing of mochi rice cakes for good luck, and a performance of the Terminal Island “Yogore” song.
Back in the day, Terminal Islanders had the reputation of being a little rough around the edges, and other Japanese Americans called them “yogores” — a derogatory nickname (meaning “dirty”) that they wore like a badge of honor. The “Yogore” song was written by Minoru Hinoki while interned at Manzanar.
With hundreds of people in attendance, the picnic showed that more than eighty years later, their relationship with the “Enchanted Island” — as former resident Charlie Hamasaki famously described it — still forges a powerful bond.
Derek Nakamura:
Charles Bukowski once wrote, “What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” The Japanese fishing community on Terminal Island walked through the fire of adversity with resilience and dignity.
Preserving these buildings honors their strength and ensures that their story continues to inspire us. This is akin to the preservation of Manzanar and other historical sites that remind us of the trials and tribulations faced by immigrants and minorities throughout our nation’s history.
I propose (…) preserving this building, not just as a relic but as a living museum. It would serve as a place of education and reflection, ensuring that the sacrifices and contributions of these early immigrants are never forgotten.
Tim Yuji Yamamoto:
Akimatsu Nakamura, the proprietor of the A. Nakamura Company store at 712 Tuna Street, was my grandfather. Akimatsu was arrested in 1942, a few months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was incarcerated and taken to a detention area in Montana and one other location. By 1945 he was reunited with his family.
Being a child of older parents, I’m lucky to have heard about these experiences from them and others who lived through this time. What will happen when we are not around anymore?
Because of my family’s history and direct connection to the location, I feel strongly about the preservation of the buildings. They could be restored and turned into an interactive museum where younger generations can learn the colorful history, possibly tied into the Maritime Museum in San Pedro.
I strongly urge you to sign our petition and save the remaining buildings on Tuna Street and the once beloved “Taminaru.”
Paul Hiroshi Boyea:
Storytelling, the art of sharing experiences, is important for future generations to truly understand history. Storytelling becomes more difficult when there isn’t something physical to see or experience.
We have [an] opportunity today to reimagine the actual physical space of the two historic buildings still standing on Terminal Island and honor the first- and second-generation issei and nisei.
The preservation of these two historic buildings is very personal to anyone who grew up in Terminal Island and their families. My mom, Chizuru Nakaji Boyea, was born in Terminal Island in 1919, the eldest of five children.
My mom will always be my North Star because the North Star offers guidance, direction, stability, and purpose.
I want you to think of the legacy of the three thousand North Stars from Fish Harbor, Terminal Island, and East San Pedro.
To sign the petition, visit www.savetunastreet.com