Documentary Film Presents Therapist's Work with Japanese American Adults Born into Incarceration during WWII

Date: February 23, 2015
Contact: Lucien Sonder, 510-232-5050 Ext. 6622

On March 20 and 21st, the National Park Service invites the public to the Visitor Education Center of Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park for 2 free screenings of a documentary film called “Children of the Camps.”

 

The one-hour film, originally made and broadcast on PBS in 1999, portrays the poignant stories of six Japanese Americans who were imprisoned as children in War Relocation Authority Camps during WWII. 

The film captures a three-day intensive group experience, during which the participants are guided by Dr. Satsuki Ina, a university professor and therapist (and director of the film), through a process that enables them to speak honestly about their experiences and the continuing impact of being imprisoned on their lives today. Dr. Ina, who was born in the Tule Lake Segregation Center, has developed and conducted this workshop for more than ten years for other children who had been incarcerated during the war.

The workshop participants openly share their pain as they watched their parents endure, how their families were torn apart, and ultimately how they survived in a world that had accused and ostracized them at a young age simply because of the color of their skin and the national origin of their families. 

Through the telling of their personal stories, we witness an unfolding of the long-held trauma of their early childhood experience. The once secret and darkly shrouded private suffering becomes clearer and better understood, thus clearing the way for self-acceptance and new possibilities.

More generally, the documentary sheds light on the deeply damaging personal impact of racism and offers an opportunity for viewers to understand the consequences of growing up as a scapegoated minority group member. 

Woven through the program are Dr. Ina's insights, historical photographs and film footage, and an overview narrated by award-winning poet and author Lawson Fusao Inada.

On Friday, March 20th, “Children of the Camps” will be screened at the Visitor Education Center at 2 PM, and on Saturday, March 21, the film will be screened at 3 PM, with an introduction and Q&A session with Dr. Satsuki Ina. Both screenings are free, however seating is limited, and reservations are required. Please call 510-232-5050 x0 and leave your name and phone number, and specify which date you would like to attend.

The Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center is open seven days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM and is located at 1414 Harbour Way South, suite 3000, Richmond, CA 94804. For more information and directions to the Visitor Education Center, please call [phone] x0 or visit to https://www.nps.gov/rori/planyourvisit/directions.htm. Admission to the Visitor Center and all park sites and programs is free at all times. 

If you would like to receive information about upcoming park events, visit www.rosietheriveter.org and sign up for the email newsletter. The Rosie the Riveter Trust is the nonprofit association that is building a community of support for this national park.