National Disgrace -- Plaque at Manzanar National Historic Landmark, California Youth T-Shirt

Not all National Historic Landmarks commemorate achievements and victories. Manzanar National Historic Landmark stands as a reminder of what prejudice and hysteria can lead to. In this case, over 120,000 innocent United States citizens uprooted from their homes at gunpoint with only what they could carry, and moved to camps complete with barbed wire fences and guard towers manned by soldiers with machine guns. After World War II ended, they were graciously released with a one-way ticket to anywhere in the United States they wanted to go, plus $20 (equivalent to a whopping $285 in 2019.)

Europeans like my father were lucky. He came to the United States from Italy and as such didn't look different from the average American. But if Italians, Italy being allied with Nazi Germany, had distinguishing physical characteristics they too could have easily been rounded up as were the Japanese - even if they came to America as a child in 1924.

I have been photographing the things I see for over thirty years. A resident of San Luis Obispo County, I'm lucky to have many excellent photo destinations within a few minutes' or hours' drive. Beyond the local area, I have traveled throughout California and the western United States, visited far away American destinations such as Chicago, New York, Florida, and Alaska, and international destinations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. My photography varies from Architecture to Industrial Art to Nature to Wildlife and I'm sure you'll find something suitable for your home or office. Visit my blog