Thanks to Dana Shew and her trusty phone, we have raw video footage of Joseph Nishimura reading his story, “Leaving Topaz,” at the Topaz Stories reception at the Utah State Capitol on April 22, 2022.
Joe was eight years old when his family of six was forced to leave their home in Berkeley, CA. His father was a Methodist minister and, as such, was not arrested by the FBI as were so many Buddhist ministers. The family was incarcerated together, first in Tanforan, then Topaz. But they left Topaz in stages–a carefully phased exit planned around the children’s educational needs.
The last family members to leave Topaz were Joe, his brother Jon, and his mother. En route to join the rest of the family in New York, an incident occurred that dampened their elation at being free of Topaz at last, and made Joe realize that, though Japanese Americans could leave Topaz, it would not be so easy for Topaz to leave them.
Joe traveled to Salt Lake City in April to present his story to a large audience in the State Capitol. He was accompanied by his wife Joyce, son Stephen, and daughter Brenda, who was thrilled that her dad was finally speaking out about this painful part of his past.
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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)