A man sits on a chair in the middle of the Utah desert, his son on his lap. In the distance, their outlines made somewhat hazy by the hot, dusty air, are barracks.
Dan Hirano was born in Topaz, shortly after it opened. He does not remember camp, or having his picture taken on his father’s lap.
In poring over this faded but treasured photo, Dan was all of us, trying to reclaim our past, which lies just beyond the edges of memory.
Read Dan’s story, “Father and Son,” on our website (see the link in our bio).
Learn about two upcoming Topaz Stories-related events.
The Topaz Stories Team
Contact us if you have a Topaz Story to share.
Follow us on Instagram @topazstories
Media Coverage:
Watch Topaz survivors tell their stories (abc4 news, 4/22/2022)
Listen to the “In the Hive” podcast with interviews with Ann Dion, Jonathan Hirabayashi, and Topaz survivors Jeanie Kashima and Joseph Nishimura (KCPW, 4/28/2022)
Read How a Utah exhibit about Topaz Camp looks to find empathy in ‘an ugly stain on American history (ksl.com, 4/22/2022)
Read “Topaz Stories rise from the dust,” (Department of Culture & Community Engagement, 4/2022)
Listen to KQED Forum, Day of Remembrance interview with Ruth Sasaki, 2/15/2022
Listen to Max Chang and Ruth Sasaki interviewed (KRCL RadioActive, 2/9/2022
Read On Topaz Stories and ‘Authentic Voice’, the Discover Nikkei interview with Ruth Sasaki (10/14/2022)
Listen to Remembering the Japanese American Incarceration, the Topaz Stories podcast with Ruth Sasaki and Jonathan Hirabayashi (6/2/2021)