Western on the Peninsulas to Host Lecture on Japanese Internment During World War II Oct. 17 at Poulsbo City Hall
Mayumi Tsutakawa, independent writer and curator of Asian and Pacific American history, will present “How our state’s Japanese Americans faced the injustice of internment, and how families who lost everything rebuilt their lives;” this presentation is free and open to the public.
Before World War II, Japantown in Seattle was a lively area, and Japanese farmers in Eastern Washington prospered. After Executive Order 9066 was issued, 120,000 Japanese-Americans were forced from their homes. Once they returned, most came back to learn they had lost everything, couldn’t find jobs and had to rebuild their lives. Through Tsutakawa’s lecture, she reveals her family’s 100-year history against the backdrop of this dramatic American story.
Tsutakawa co-edited “The Forbidden Stitch: Asian American Women’s Literary Anthology,” which received the Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award. She received a master’s degree in communications and a bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies at the University of Washington.
The lecture is co-hosted by the Western Lecture Series and Humanities Washington, which sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state.
Western Lecture Series events include narratives about current events and issues of local and regional importance related to the environment, arts and literature, as well as other human-interest topics. Presented by experts and specialists in their respective professions and avocations, the lectures offer an exchange of knowledge and perspective on a variety of subject matter. Registration for these events is not required.
More information about the Western Lecture Series is available at ee.wwu.edu/wls.