A war…
A camera…
A father…
This Fathers Day, we honor all the strong, loving men who raised us.
Dave Izu’s dad Douglas gave him his treasured Weltini camera–a prized possession acquired in Europe when he served in the U.S. Army during WWII. But Doug’s legacy to his sons included another kind of black box–his past: his family’s three-family caravan that left California to escape incarceration in Topaz and survived as migrant workers; being drafted by the government that had sought to incarcerate him; his experiences as a soldier in WWII. To Dave, his dad was simply the rock of the family–gentle and ever present.
In “Father’s Day,” Dave lets light into his father’s past.
All images courtesy of David Izu.
The Topaz Stories Team
Plan to visit the Topaz Stories Exhibit in Salt Lake City (through December 2022).
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)