As we prepare for the holiday weekend, a big “thank you” to those who put food on our tables.
Many Japanese Americans got temporary leave from Topaz and other camps, responding to the call to do agricultural or other work that supported local industries and the war effort. From Topaz, many went to work at turkey farms or processing plants. The work was grueling, especially for those from West Coast cities who had never done such work before.
One anonymous young woman wrote about her experience in the Topaz Times. There is a current of ambiguity running through her account as she debates whether the appalling work conditions were worth her “freedom.” Read “The Thing With Feathers.”
The Topaz Stories Team
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Media Coverage:
Read Internee’s story told with ‘Topaz Collages’ (Wheel of Dharma, Vol. 5, Issue 3, March 2023).
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)