Finish the Vision

Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Visitor Center

Construction is Underway — Capital Campaign Update

Through a successful capital campaign, BIJAEMA raised
$4.5 million, secured the necessary permits, and celebrated groundbreaking
on October 11. The Visitor Center is projected to open in
Fall 2026.

After a two-year wait for a building permit, new water service requirements and rising
construction costs have increased the total project cost to
$6.5 million, leaving a
$2.0 million gap to complete the vision.

This is not a new campaign — it is the
final chapter in one of Washington’s most significant heritage
and human rights projects. Every dollar contributed now goes directly to
construction and exhibit fabrication already in progress.

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A Legacy of Resilience and Community

On Bainbridge Island—the first community in the nation to experience the forced removal of Japanese Americans under Executive Order 9066—the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial stands as a living reminder of resilience, the power of community, and the enduring commitment to Nidoto Nai Yoni—Let It Not Happen Again.

For more than twenty years, survivors, families, and neighbors have worked together to create a place of remembrance and reflection. The Memorial commemorates the 276 island residents of Japanese ancestry who were forced from their homes in 1942, and how their Bainbridge neighbors stood by them and welcomed them home.

Today, the Memorial draws more than 30,000 visitors each year—students, families, organizations, and travelers from around the world—who come to learn, reflect, and carry forward the lessons of this history.

Survivors Breaking Ground with Their Golden Shovels

The Final Phase: Building the Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is the Memorial’s final phase. It will transform the site from an outdoor experience into a year-round place of learning—featuring exhibits, interpretive media, and historic artifacts developed in partnership with survivors, educators, and historians.
The Visitor Center will provide:

Permanent exhibit space with interpretive displays and video narratives;
Flexible classroom and lecture space with the capacity to host up to 75 participants;
An outdoor amphitheater and plaza for education programs and larger community gatherings;
Accessible restrooms and visitor amenities to accommodate year-round use and visitors with varying levels of mobility;
Interpretive media and A/V systems that bring personal stories vividly to life.

The architectural design, led by Johnpaul Jones (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom), honors the natural setting and reflective and restorative essence of the site.

The Memorial: Perpetually Relevant to the Times

The story preserved at Bainbridge Island is not only a story of exclusion—it is a story of resilience, conscience, and community.

At a time when our nation is again confronting fear, division, and the misuse of power against its own residents, this story’s lessons are urgently relevant. The Visitor Center will be a living classroom for reflection, education, and civic engagement—ensuring that what happened here before continues to inform what we do now.

A Call to Partnership

We invite the Bainbridge Community Foundation and its network of donors to join us in finishing the vision.

Your support will:

Help close the final $2 million gap for construction and exhibit fabrication;
Create a world-class interpretive resource for schools, families, and visitors;
Preserve an important chapter of American history to help guide our future.

Together, we can ensure that the Bainbridge Island story of resilience and community continues to inspire and guide the nation—now, and for generations to come.