Anthropology Professor Receives International Honor for Amache Project Work

Denver's Consul General to Japan Mikami Yoichi (left) presents Professor Bonnie Clark (right) with the Foreign Minister’s Commendation for her work on the Amache Project.

Professor Bonnie Clark was recently honored with the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for her work on the Amache Project. Denver's Consul General to Japan Mikami Yoichi hosted the award ceremony on May 24.

Amache was a World War II internment camp that incarcerated over 10,000 Americans of Japanese descent.

Clark, an Anthropology professor within the University of Denver’s College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, began researching Amache just before the site received state-protected status as a historic landmark in 2005. She has worked to document and preserve the Amache site, inviting DU students, community members, survivors and their descendants to participate through the Amache project and its initiatives.

Amache was designated a National Historic Site within the National Park Service in March 2022 after President Joe Biden signed the Amache National Historic Site Act into law.

The Foreign Minster’s Commendation is awarded to recognize the achievements of individuals and groups that have made significant contributions toward promoting friendly relations between Japan and other countries.