PACIFIC HISTORIC PARKS CONTINUES HIDDEN HISTORIES VIRTUAL SERIES WITH NEW FALL PRESENTATIONS

Upcoming speakers explore Korean POW history and preservation efforts at Honouliuli

HONOLULU (Sept. 16, 2025) – Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) continues its Hidden Histories: The Untold Stories of Honouliuli virtual speaker series this fall with two powerful presentations that explore different facets of the Honouliuli National Historic Site’s legacy. The free speaker series is held in honor of the 10^th anniversary of the site’s designation and is open to the public.

Honouliuli National Historic Site, located in West Oahu, is the site of Hawaii’s largest World War II incarceration and prisoner of war camp. Designated as a national historic site in 2015, it preserves the stories of wartime incarceration, martial law, and the POW experience in the islands. The upcoming sessions feature scholars and resource managers whose work strengthens public understanding of the site’s layered history.

Monday, September 23, 2025 | 5:30–6:30 PM

Speaker: Dr. Mary Danico feat. Duk Hee Murabayashi

Presentation: Unpacking the Layered History of Korean Prisoners of War in Honouliuli (1943-1945)

Zoom link: Register here

Dr. Mary Danico, Professor of Ethnic Studies and Director of the Center for Oral History at the University of Hawaii, will be joined by Duk Hee Murabayashi, President of the Korean Immigration Research Institute in Hawaii, for Unpacking the Layered History of Korean Prisoners of War in Honouliuli (1943–1945). Drawing on archival research from both the U.S. and Korea, along with interviews with descendants of Korean POWs, the speakers will explore lesser-known stories of Korean prisoners at Honouliuli and how their experiences intersected with the Korean community in Hawaii.

Tuesday, October 15, 2025 | 5:30–6:30 PM

Speaker: Jay Sturdevant

Presentation: Heavy Lifting History: Reflections on Resource Management and Creating a Preservation Landscape at Honouliuli National Historic Site

Zoom link: Register here

Jay Sturdevant, Cultural Resource Program Manager at Honouliuli National Historic Site, will present Heavy Lifting History: Reflections on Resource Management and Creating a Preservation Landscape at Honouliuli National Historic Site. With more than 25 years of experience in the National Park Service, Sturdevant will share behind-the-scenes insights into the site’s evolving preservation efforts and how Honouliuli is being shaped as a place of learning, stewardship, and remembrance.

Additional virtual talks will be announced in the coming months as the 10th anniversary speaker series continues. For more information about Honouliuli National Historic Site, please visit https://www.pacifichistoricparks.org/honoulilui-hidden-histories. 

About Pacific Historic Parks

Pacific Historic Parks is a non-profit cooperative association of the National Park Service (NPS) and has been raising funds and providing support to NPS mission programs at Pearl Harbor since 1979, when it was known as the Arizona Memorial Museum Association. PHP also supports NPS mission programs at Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Molokai, War in the Pacific National Historical Park on Guam, American Memorial Park on Saipan and Honouliuli National Historic Site on Oahu. Additionally, PHP partners with the state of Hawaii to support Diamond Head State Monument. PHP’s mission is to Remember, Honor and Understand World War II in the Pacific. For more information, visit www.pacifichistoricparks.org.