Grateful Crane’s ‘Only the Oaks Remain’ at SFVJACC

During a Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition luncheon last year in Montebello, members of the Grateful Crane Ensemble recite diary entries, poems and letters written by detainees at Tuna Canyon. (MARIO G. REYES/Rafu Shimpo)

PACOIMA — The San Fernando Valley JACL, in support of the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition, will present the Grateful Crane Ensemble performing “Only the Oaks Remain” on Sunday, April 15, at 2 p.m. at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center, 12953 Branford St. in Pacoima.

It’s been 76 years since the FBI knocked on the door to arrest men on the West Coast thought to be dangerous. Over 2,000 were taken from their families and moved in a few days to Ft. Missoula, Montana; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and/or Crystal City, Texas.

Since 2013, the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition has been preserving the stories of the Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants, Japanese taken from Peru, and others by interviewing descendants, taking its exhibit to ten locations, publishing a book, and now this dramatic play.

Written by Grateful Crane’s Soji Kashiwagi, the play tells a story that took place just a few miles away off the 210 Freeway, where the Verdugo Hills Golf Course used to be. The Tuna Canyon site has been designated Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument 1039. The camp buildings are long gone, but a grove of oak trees on the site dates back to World War II.

Tickets are $20. Bento lunch is available for $10. Dessert and tea will be provided.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.tunacanyon.org or at the door.