Episode 6: Reparations and Moving Forward

When Miyo Iwakoshi landed at Portland’s docks in 1880, she became a pioneer. Her arrival marked the beginning of the Japanese American community in Oregon, a story we’ve explored in the first five episodes of Voices of Gresham.

We’ve discovered what life was like for Miyo and her family – the good and the bad, the hope and the heartache. And we’ve followed those who came after her, moving from family farms to concentration camps. In this final episode of the miniseries, we examine how the roots she laid – of community and resiliency – endured long after her passing.

In 1976, Gerald Ford repealed Executive Order 9066, which had imprisoned Japanese Americans during WWII. He lamented, “We now know what we should have known then—not only was that evacuation wrong, but Japanese Americans were and are loyal Americans.” His words echoed what had been true the whole time. However, this official apology took thirty years, and it would be another twelve years until interned families began to receive financial reparations. 

In the meantime, Gresham’s Japanese American community faced the challenge of how to rebuild after internment. Not everyone returned after the war. Many had lost their farms and businesses, and several lost sons fighting overseas. For those who did return, getting back to their lives with pride and resiliency was often the most important thing. Their children recalled the common attitude of “shikata ga nai,” or, “it can’t be helped.” In other words, what was done was done, and they couldn’t turn back time. The future they hoped to build was far more important. 

In the decades after internment, Japanese American families proudly celebrated their Japanese traditions. Organized by local Buddhist temples and churches, cultural bazaars, dances, festivals, and dinners provided points of community connection. Meanwhile, the Japanese American Citizens' League (JACL) fought for rights and reparations while also providing recreational outlets such as local bowling leagues.

Later, in the 1970s, Gresham established a Sister City program with Ebetsu, Japan. In the same decade, farmers and the local JACL raised the Gresham Japanese Garden, also known as Tsuru Island. The wooden bridge onto the island in some ways feels like a metaphorical one. Like the Sister City program connects Gresham and Japan, the bridge connects two cultures.

By the 1980s, Gresham’s Japanese American community was a century old. However, Miyo Iwakoshi’s grave remained unmarked. But through the work of Akiko Sugioka, Margaret Okrasinski, Sharon Nesbit, and many researchers in Japan, both her story and the site of her burial were rediscovered. 

Beneath a tall Cedar tree, with roots alongside many other pioneers, rested the Western Empress. In May of 1988, with the help of the Gresham Historical Society and JACL, locals gathered to bestow her headstone. A Japanese maple was also planted, with elegant flourishes beside the strong cedar, together capturing the personality of the Gresham pioneer. 

Miyo’s story would no longer fade with the passage of time. Instead, her rightful place in Oregon history would be restored. By telling the tale of her life and the stories of those who came after her, we get a fuller picture of the past. We ensure that our history showcases the full diversity of those who got us here – told through the many voices of Gresham!