Launch Symposium for Education & Memory of Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation site
November 19 @ 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm MST
by Carolyn Classen, blogger
“Dear colleagues and community,
We are excited to announce the launch of a new project, Tucson 9066: Education and Memory at the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site! We cordially invite you to celebrate and learn more at our opening event.Here are the details:
LAUNCH SYMPOSIUM & RECEPTION
November 19, 2026, Thursday, 3:00-6:00 PM
3:00 – 4:00 panel and conversation
4:00 – 6:00 tabling, mapping, and refreshments
LOCATION:
Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (AWCIM)
1502 E Mabel St, Tucson, AZ 85719 [map]. The event will take place at the Cantor Building
RSVP: Please register for the event here.
Meet the scholars, partners and artists connecting Tucson and the public to the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site (GHRS), a historic site of Japanese American Confinement, and a critical place to learn about citizenship, constitutional rights, and equal justice under the law. The first hour of the symposium will consist of a panel and conversation, with the remaining time a “Meet the Artists” reception with tabling and refreshments, and a live community mapping & visioning session.
Later in the evening, please join us for the after party!
TUCSON 9066 AFTER PARTY @ MOCA’s Free Third Thursday
November 19, 2026, Thursday, 6:00-9:00 PM
LOCATION:
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Tucson
265 S Church Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701 [map].
Join us for music, readings and mingling after the symposium, in this after party co-hosted by MOCA Tucson as part of their Free Third Thursday program. No rsvp required, and all galleries will also be open during this time.
An awardee of the 2026 Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program administered by the National Park Service, Tucson 9066: Education + Memory at Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site will bring public programs, guided site workshops, course materials, and a culminating digital/print publication to expand public understanding of GHRS as a historic Japanese American confinement site and a critical place for learning about citizenship, constitutional rights, and equal justice under the law. Learn more about the project at tucson9066.project.arizona.edu.”
Carolyn’s note: Gordon Hirabayashi challenged his unlawful imprisonment, Hirabayashi v. US 320 vs. 81 (1943). He was present for the dedication of that recreation site named after him in 1999.