By Kelly Johnson
Along with supporting children development through programs such as Family Storytime, Evening Storytime, and Saturday Storytime, South Cobb Regional Library will host an exhibit on an American tragedy for the month of May: Kennesaw State University and Breman Foundation of Atlanta’s panel exhibit, The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment.
Many may be unaware, but the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial is on Bainbridge Island, Washington (located across and separated from Seattle by the Puget Sound). The island was ground zero for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, in which the United States forced Japanese Americans from their homes and into what were termed “relocation centers”—and this is if they were not deported by the War Relocation Authority (WRA). The WRA was created in 1942 to carry out the Roosevelt’s executive order.
As one can imagine from accounts of Jim Crow in the American South and the Holocaust in Europe, Japanese Americans suffered much during World War II, both here, at home, and in Japan. The panel exhibit will offer insights to the experience of Americans turning on Americans during a time of war and, despite 1988 reparations to surviving internees, the long-term effects of such behavior.
While this particular aspect of the Japanese American experience is tragic and may be beyond comprehension by some children, it’s worth mentioning that in the same year surviving internees received reparations—and in the spirit of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—Studio Ghibli released Grave of the Fireflies. A touching animated historical war drama, it tells the story of orphan siblings, Seita and Setsuko, and their struggle to survive the final months of World War II. This film is based on the autobiographical short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, and it may help familiarize children with the impact of World War II and the totality of the Japanese American experience during that period. (Parents may want to screen the film before sharing with their children.)
In addition to The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment exhibit, here are some other events scheduled for May at South Cobb Regional Library which may be of interest:
- Putting Roots Down: From Dream to Reality, Monday, May 5th at 6:00 PM
- Monthly Movie Matinee
- Enter the Dragon, Friday, May 9th at 3:00 PM
- Friday, Friday, May 23rd at 3:00 PM
- TALK Saves Lives, Wednesday, May 14th at 6:00 PM
- Graphic Novel Book Club, Monday, May 19th at 6:00 PM
- Graphic Novel: Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham
Please note South Cobb Regional Library shall be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 26th, 2025.
As always, check out that book, and get your creativity on. Your brain will thank you.
Be sure to subscribe to the Cobb County Public Library System’s (Library System) Newsletter here.
MAY 2025
WEEK 1
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| May 01, 2025 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:30 – 12:00 | Stay and Play | ||
| May 02, 2025 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| May 03, 2025 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
| 10:00 – 17:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
MAY 2025
WEEK 2
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| May 04, 2025 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | |
| 13:00 – 17:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| May 05, 2025 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:00 – 20:00 | Family Sing and Dance Along | ||
| 15:30 – 16:30 | Paws to Read: Read to Koda | ||
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Putting Down Roots: From Dream to Reality | ||
| May 06, 2025 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 17:00 – 19:00 | Adult Art Night | ||
| May 07, 2025 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Storytime | ||
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Bubble Dance Party | ||
| 15:30 – 16:30 | Family Crafternoon | ||
| May 08, 2025 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 16:30 – 17:30 | The Last Word Book Discussion | ||
| May 09, 2025 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 15:00 – 17:30 | Monthly Movie Matinee (Enter the Dragon) | ||
| May 10, 2025 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
| 10:00 – 17:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
MAY 2025
WEEK 3
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| May 11, 2025 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | |
| 13:00 – 17:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| May 12, 2025 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Sing and Dance Along | ||
| 18:30 – 19:00 | Evening Storytime | ||
| May 13, 2025 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Baby Time | ||
| May 14, 2025 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Storytime | ||
| 18:00 – 19:00 | TALK Saves Lives (12+ years of age) | ||
| May 15, 2025 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 12:00 | Stay and Play | ||
| May 16, 2025 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | The Basics with Cobb Collaborative | ||
| May 17, 2025 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
| 10:00 – 17:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Saturday Storytime | ||
MAY 2025
WEEK 4
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| May 18, 2025 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| May 19, 2025 | Monday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Sing and Dance Along | ||
| 15:00 – 19:00 | American Red Cross Blood Drive | ||
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Graphic Novel Book Club [Virtual Program] (Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam) | ||
| May 20, 2025 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Baby Time | ||
| May 21, 2025 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Storytime | ||
| May 22, 2025 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| May 23, 2025 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 18:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | The Basics with Cobb Collaborative | ||
| 15:00 – 17:30 | Monthly Movie Matinee (Friday) | ||
| May 24, 2025 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
MAY 2025
WEEK 5
| DATE | DAY | EST (24hr) | EVENT |
| May 25, 2025 | Sunday | 13:00 – 17:00 | |
| 13:00 – 17:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| May 26, 2025 | Monday | CLOSED | HOLIDAY: MEMORIAL DAY |
| May 27, 2025 | Tuesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Baby Time | ||
| May 28, 2025 | Wednesday | 10:00 – 20:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Family Storytime | ||
| May 29, 2025 | Thursday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| May 30, 2025 | Friday | 10:00 – 18:00 | |
| 10:00 – 20:00 | The Tragedy of War: Japanese American Internment | ||
| 10:30 – 11:00 | The Basics with Cobb Collaborative | ||
| 15:00 – 17:00 | Beads and bonding at South Cobb | ||
| May 31, 2025 | Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 | |
Kelly Johnson, a resident of Cobb since 1999, wears multiple hats for Chaos Studio Seven, among which is creative writer. Outside of speculative and science fiction—and on occasion poetry—Kelly uses his skill set as a writer to report on and inform the community.
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