Last weekend there was an event that took some 68 years to come to fruition. The Sun-Star covered the event perfectly, without succumbing to low-hanging "news fruit."
In 1942, the U.S. government imprisoned 120,000 American citizens, of which nearly 5,000 were at the Merced Assembly Center at the Merced County Fairgrounds.
Last Saturday, Merced honored those who were interned by unveiling a memorial which should lead to increased education and awareness of that dismal period of our history.
Tom Frazier
But there were pitfalls that had to be avoided while covering the event.
There was "the committee" -- a dedicated group of local citizens who have fought long and hard to get the memorial done. But the story was not about them.
There were local boards and citizens who supported and helped fund the small plaza and sculpture. But the story was not about them.
There was the artist who created the striking monument.
And there were politicians -- national politicians, state politicians, county politicians and city politicians. But the story was not about them, either.
It would have been easy to get distracted by the allure of these influential people.
Enter Danielle Gaines and Lisa James.
With all the distractions, they found the real story -- the internees. Gaines' words talked about them with passion. She wrote about the first-generation Japanese who came to America (the Issei), their children (Nisei) and grandchildren (Sansei.)
James' lenses focused mostly on the Nisei -- not on the politicians. James was glad to be there, saying, "I felt lucky to be covering this. Amazing people. Very humbling."
If you haven't read the story or looked at the picture gallery, go back and do so.
The primary purpose for the memorial, as stated by the committee, is to be a catalyst for education: "To teach the public what happened -- so that it will never happen again."
The Sun-Star has already been involved in that process. Since 2001, there have been at least a dozen stories about the internment camp, written by a strong group of reporters and columnists.
I've read them all. Each has a unique slant that provides different insights. They can be found by searching online in the Sun-Star archives.
This is one example of what a community newspaper is all about: Local coverage about local people, written by a strong reporter, working hand-in-hand with a talented photographer.
In an earlier column, I complained about Saturday event coverage. This story certainly proved me wrong even if it may be the exception to the norm. It was a pleasure to read a Monday paper.
If there was anything the Sun-Star could have done better, it may have been to attend and cover the banquet following the ceremony.
There were 101 tables of nine who enjoyed a fabulous meal and listed to more speeches and watched segments of a documentary video being produced by METV (Merced County Office of Education Television.)
Like the ceremony itself, the banquet focused on the internees. They were strategically seated at separate tables so they could share their stories.
Even the speeches were about the internees -- for the most part. But with politicians involved, you can never stay completely focused. A good part of Rep. Mike Honda's talk sounded like a campaign speech to re-elect Rep. Dennis Cardoza.
At least the organizers made it clear that the politicos were limited to three minutes each -- even if they didn't all follow that rule.
Last week, I talked about the possibility of a "town hall" meeting with the Sun-Star. Some skeptics have said it will never happen. But don't give up just yet.
Executive Editor Mike Tharp said I'll need to go above his pay grade and talk with the publisher. But he also said, "I like the idea -- it's a question of timing ..."
Stay tuned, but I expect the Sun-Star will get this one right, too.
Tom Frazier writes Sun Dog and can be reached at sundog@promessage.com.
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