Two days after my grandparents married, pursuant to Executive Order 9066, they were evacuated to the Tulare Assembly Center and then interned at Gila River Relocation Center. My mother, the eldest of four siblings, was one of the first babies born at Gila River Relocation Center. 
From my grandfather's FBI file - he was luckier than my grandmother's father, also a Buddhist priest, who was considered so dangerous by the FBI that he was arrested the morning of February 18, 1942 and imprisoned in an "alien enemy" camp on suspicion of espionage.
After being released from the camp a bit early to help prepare for resettling their community, my grandparents went to LA, where they, with the help of Reverend Julius Goldwater (cousin of Barry Goldwater!), an ordained Buddhist monk, set up the Buddhist Hostel.
My grandparents moved to Berkeley, where my grandfather served as the minister of the Berkeley Buddhist Temple and where my grandmother took care of the Temple's hostel, which later became a dorm. They were the heart and soul of their community for many years to come.
They played a big role in cultivating Western understanding and appreciation of Buddhism. Gary Snyder, Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg and other big minds attended the Buddhist study groups my grandfather started. My grandmother was always the hostess with the mostest.
The pain, fear, and humiliation my grandparents suffered during the internment did not prevent them from going on to lead full lives, raising a family, nurturing their community, and contributing to an understanding and appreciation of Japanese Buddhism by non-Japanese Americans.
On the anniversary of Executive Order 9066, I honor my grandparents' fortitude. I think of my clients, many of whom endured much worse than my grandparents, and yet also arrived on the other side of that experience with their humanity intact. Their resilience inspires me.
