AAPI Heritage Month: Preserving the Lost Japanese American Community of Terminal Island

The Thriving Japanese American Community of Terminal Island

• 💡 Once a vibrant fishing village of 3,000 Japanese Americans, Terminal Island was home to a community that helped establish America's tuna industry.
• 🎣 The area boasted bustling canneries and a lively Tuna Street, featuring grocery stores, restaurants, pool halls, and cafes.
• 🏢 The headquarters for Starkist Tuna was also located at the end of Tuna Street, highlighting the community's economic significance.

Forced Removal and Loss During WWII

• ⚠️ Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, fear and anti-Japanese sentiment led to Executive Order 9066.
• 💔 This order forcibly removed 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes and businesses, including the residents of Terminal Island, who were declared "enemy aliens."
• 😭 Images depict the pain and suffering of community members being taken by the FBI, their lives upended.
• 💥 The U.S. government subsequently destroyed the entire village, bulldozing every home and business except for two buildings.

Efforts to Preserve Remaining History

• 🎗️ Descendants of Terminal Islanders, like Terry Horas and Paul Hiroshi Hirano, are leading efforts to save the last two remaining buildings.
• 🏠 These two buildings, formerly a dry goods store and a grocery store, are all that is left of what Japanese Americans called "Hometown Home Sweet Home."
• 🗣️ Descendants are working to ensure the sacrifices of their parents and grandparents are never forgotten and that the community is remembered.

Seeking Historic Preservation and Education

• 🏛️ LA City Councilman Tim McCusker is pushing to protect the buildings as City Historic Cultural Monuments.
• 📜 Next month, the full City Council will vote on the proposed preservation, with hopes that the buildings can be refurbished into a living classroom.
• 🌍 The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently placed these buildings on their 2025 list of America's Most Endangered Historic Places, aiming to raise awareness.
• 📚 The goal is to convey the importance of what began on Terminal Island regarding the Japanese American community and to carry on that legacy for others to learn.