The Garden of Remembrance
Memorializing the experience of people of Japanese ancestry incarcerated during WWII, while reinforcing our determination that such injustices never be repeated.
Designed by Ruth Asawa, Isao Ogura, and Shigeru Namba with special appreciation to the Professional Gardeners’ Federation of Northern California.
The Garden of Remembrance serves as a memorial to the approximately 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry unjustly removed from their homes and incarcerated during World War II. Among them were nineteen San Francisco State students, recognized in 1998 as Honored Alumni. Symbolized by large boulders representing each of the ten incarceration camps and a waterfall symbolizing the community’s resilience after incarceration, this memorial stands as a solemn reminder of past injustices, reinforcing San Francisco State University’s commitment to ensure such travesties are never repeated.
"I thought it would be nice if we could do something that told the story but not in a bitter way and not just as a Japanese story. This is a story about liberty and freedom."
— Ruth Asawa
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