Beyond Pearl Harbor Dec. 4-6
National Park Service Hosts Virtual Programs to Commemorate 75th Anniversary of the End of WWII
To complement the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 79th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony, the National Park Service (NPS) will host a series of virtual public programs, across seven days beginning November 30 to share information about World War II history.
These programs are free to the public and will set the virtual stage for the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 79th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be live-streamed December 7 on the Pearl Harbor National Memorial’s Facebook page and on www.pearlharborevents.com in partnership with Defense Media Activity.
“In our effort to bring the remembrance of the pivotal events of WWII to a wider audience, Pearl Harbor National Memorial and its partners are excited to offer these virtual field trips and education programs,” said Scott Burch, Acting Superintendent of Pearl Harbor National Memorial. “I invite everyone to join us for these very special opportunities.”
Friday, December 4
4:00 PM HST / 6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM EST
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
Saturday, December 5
10:00 AM HST / 12:00 PM PST / 3:00 PM EST
A view from the USS Utah, USS Oklahoma, and USS Arizona memorials from Ford Island and artifacts with live Q&A.
12:00 PM HST / 2:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM EST
Screening of the film, Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp, followed by a live Q&A with survivors. Moderated by Erin Aoyama.
2:00 PM HST / 4:00 PM PST / 7:00 PM EST
Military at a time when “separate but equal” was the prevailing sentiment in many regions of the country. In addition to the universal challenges that confronted all servicemen, soldiers of color faced the additional burden of overcoming racism in the military institutions they served. The valor and sacrifice of these men is undisputed, as are their many accomplishments in the battlefield. However, the existence of segregated troop regiments possess a complicated legacy that deserves further interrogation amid our country’s current reckoning related to racial justice. Reflecting on these media texts, a live discussion will bring together Frank J. Toland, Museum Guide at the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site and Gavin Do, Senior Archivist at Go For Broke National Education Center. Moderated by film festival curator Rob Buscher, the conversation will address how these groups were conveyed to the public during their time of service, and how their legacy has been remembered in the decades since the war. Moderated by Rob Buscher.
4:00 PM HST / 6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM EST
Listen to University of Hawai‘i professors Ty Kāwika Tengan and Noelle Kahanu “talk story” about Hawaiians in the military and those who served America during World War II. Tengan has researched and published extensively on Hawaiian veterans, while Kahanu created a documentary Under A Jarvis Moon, about Native Hawaiians who colonized a handful of Equatorial Islands in the 1930s and 40s.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
Sunday, December 6
10:00 AM HST / 12:00 PM PST / 3:00 PM EST
The Nisei and Buffalo Soldiers were both instrumental in turning the tide of WWII and both faced discrimination in the country they called home and which they had fought to protect. Join us to discuss segregation at the Presidio that will outline these stories of sacrifice and leave time at the end to engage our subject matter experts with questions.
12:00 PM HST / 2:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM EST
Join the staff at POCH to learn about the history of the site and the broader civil rights story. Superintendent Tom Leatherman will be moderating, Chief of Interpretation Kelli English, and Ranger Tory to talk about what’s being done to help make this story more well known and provide greater access to the public.
2:00 PM HST / 4:00 PM PST / 7:00 PM EST
Join George Takei as he reads from his graphic novel, “They Called Us Enemy” followed by a live Q&A.
4:00 PM HST / 6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM EST
You are undoubtedly familiar with the events of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. But have you ever given any thought to why those Japanese planes were in the sky over Hawaii on that date? Dr. Burke will discuss the larger issues that led to the opening of hostilities between the United States and Imperial Japan in 1941 and the ways in which the Pearl Harbor attack both was and was not a surprise to the United States.