Temporary Detention and The Mis-Adventures of A Former Nisei Week Queen
A film and conversation with collaborators, Brian Niiya, Evan Kodani and Sharon Yamato
Saturday, May 9, 2 pm
Hear from historian Brian Niiya to learn more about the temporary detention centers, hastily built for Japanese Americans during WWII. See the short documentary “The Mis-Adventures of A Former Nisei Week Queen,” directed by Evan Kodani and produced by Sharon Yamato. And be part of reclaiming the stories in place to build awareness of the injustices and detention happening today.
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of “any or all persons” from designated “military areas” for reasons of “military necessity.” Though it did not specify Japanese Americans by name, it resulted in the mass removal of 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast to primarily inland concentration camps. As a temporary measure, fifteen “assembly centers” were built as makeshift WWII concentration camps providing interim housing for about 82,000 people of Japanese ancestry for an average of three months. When only a few Nikkei left their homes voluntarily, the military resorted to forceful evacuation and incarceration.
Told with poise, humor, and strength, The Mid-Adventures of A Former Nisei Queen shares reflections of spirited 92-year-old June Aochi Berk. Growing up in prewar Little Tokyo, she goes from surviving in a horse stall at the Santa Anita temporary detention center and in a barrack at the Rohwer concentration camp during World War II to being crowned Nisei Week Queen in Los Angeles. Director Evan Kodani has over a decade of experience in filmmaking. He has filmed and edited a multitude of productions, including the Emmy award-winning ARTBOUND episode Masters of Modern Design in collaboration with PBS SoCal.