2008 Woodie Awards
Idaho Japanese Internment Camp Exhibit
Brandy Egertson
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: Life
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As part of the Idaho State University celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Student Activities Board listed a Minidoka Internment Exhibit as part of the week's events.
I was extremely excited to go see this exhibit because I thought there would be a large room with World War II antiques, a speaker or two and interesting stories of Japanese lives that were affected by the internment camp during World War II.
When I came upon what was referred to as an exhibit in the cafeteria area of the Pond Student Union Building, I was left a little wanting. To my surprise, the exhibit consisted of a three paneled poster.
The Minidoka Internment camp is a horrible, yet fascinating part of Idaho's history that most people from Pocatello know little to nothing about. This particular moment in Idaho history is not often taught in the classroom because of the shame it brings our state. Let's face it; it is not exactly the greatest tourist attraction. The exhibit had the potential to teach and raise awareness of the atrocities that occurred not far from here, but instead, we were given a few poster boards to look at.
Many who read this may take the opportunity to take a look at the exhibit, but it seems questionable whether anyone would have otherwise noticed it if this article did not address the topic.
In all fairness, it is better to have the gigantic poster than nothing at all, but to advertise it as an exhibit left me departing from the PSUB feeling mislead. I was hoping to see an exhibit of artifacts or at least something more than what it was, but I instead was given a poster of facts and pictures. Not exactly something to advertise as a Martin Luther King Jr. week event.
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