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Five second-generation Japanese Americans will share significant memories of their lives, with a focus on the World War II camp experience. The Nisei speakers, who are all in their 80s and 90s, will also compare their camp experiences with the present-day detention centers in Texas for Central American refugees.

Lead presenter Sam Mihara is a former executive at Boeing Company and a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of the WWII imprisonment of Japanese Americans. His most recent work is a study of the immigrant detention facilities in Texas.

Retired biologist Dr. Takashi Hoshizaki resisted the draft while he was in camp, and was subsequently sent to federal prison for three years. After his rights were restored, he joined the military and served in the Korean War to prove his loyalty to the US.

Toshi Ito is the wife of James Ito, the leader of the agriculture team at Heart Mountain that developed the farms that produced food for all camp residents. Toshi’s father committed suicide as a direct result of racist treatment following WWII.

Award-winning Disney animation artist Willie Ito is a well-known spokesperson for the Topaz prison camp for Nikkei, where he was incarcerated.

Shig Yabu is the noted author of Hello Maggie, an illustrated book that tells the story of the magpie bird that he raised as a pet in camp. Yabu is now an executive at Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

For anyone interested in the subject of the mass incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII, this is an event that should not be missed.

This program is sold out. To be placed on a waitlist, please email rsvp@janm.org.