Japanese American Internment: Memories of Heart Mountain

About this course:

Sam Mihara is a second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) born and raised in San Francisco. When World War II broke out, the United States government used armed military guards to force nine-year-old Sam and his family to move to the Heart Mountain, Wyoming prison camp. It was one of 10 such camps in the country that together housed more than 120,000 west coast residents of Japanese ancestry, most of them U.S.-born American citizens. Sam and his family lived in one room, 20 by 20 square feet in a barrack for three years. In this course, Sam describes the events leading to internment and life for Japanese American citizens imprisoned at Heart Mountain, Wyoming during World War II. He has also studied the current detention of immigrant families across the country and shares his findings. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.