Sadako Peace Projects at Pearl Harbor National Memorial
(Originally published November 20, 2022)
On November 19, 2022, the Japan-America Society of Hawaii and Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) hosted high school and college volunteers at the Sadako Peace Projects (SPP) at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. This is the first time the SPP have been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is also the first time JASH has had the honor of running the projects since becoming their administrator in 2021.
Volunteers from Punahou School and UH Mānoa
JASH and PHP welcomed volunteers from Punahou School, led by Academy Japanese language faculty Junko Ady, as well as volunteers from the Peace Sustainability and Advocacy student club and Matsunaga Institute of Peace at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, led by Educational Specialist José Barzola. We were also honored to have in attendance project co-founders Hiromi Peterson and Naomi Hirano-Omizo, former Japanese language faculty at Punahou School, and co-authors of the Adventures in Japanese language textbook. Additionally, Peterson-sensei is a recipient of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan’s Foreign Minister’s Commendation for 2022 for her dedication and achievements in the fields of language pedagogy and peace education. Peterson-sensei and Omizo-sensei are also co-founders of the Hiroshima Peace Scholarship for high school juniors, which is launching its first cohort under the administration of JASH for summer 2023 (learn more at jashawaii.org/hps).
A fun educational activity for both children and adults!
The Sadako Peace Projects include two peacebuilding initiatives held at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial: The Sadako Project, founded in 2014, and the Sadako Peace Cranes Project, founded in 2016.
Through the Sadako Project, volunteers teach visitors to Pearl Harbor about the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who was a victim of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and who would pass away from the effects of irradiation when she was twelve years old. In memory of Sadako's thousand paper cranes, visitors are invited to fold peace cranes bearing their own hopes for world peace.
In the Sadako Peace Cranes Project, teachers in Japan are invited to share the story of Sadako, World War II, and the importance of peace with their students. As part of the lesson, Japanese students fold peace cranes containing their messages of peace. Our local volunteers share these cranes with visitors to Pearl Harbor, letting the cranes “spread their wings” and share their messages of peace across the world. During this project day, cranes were shared with many visitors from around the US, ranging from California all the way to New York. We also shared Sadako’s story with visitors from Canada, as well as travelers all the way from Spain!
Visitors enjoy taking home peace cranes for their family and friends.
Through the Sadako Peace Projects, we hope to connect the people of Hawaii, Japan, and around the world to establish friendships and cross-cultural understanding, raise awareness of the consequences of war, and build a more peaceful future.
We'd love to have your class, club, or organization volunteer for the Sadako Peace Projects! Individual volunteers are also welcome. Volunteers must be at least of high school age; volunteers under 18 must receive parent/guardian permission. The projects run semi-monthly during the academic year. Please visit jashawaii.org/sadako-projects for more details.
