This is an excerpt from “Order 9066,” a podcast from American Public Media and the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
What’s happening today to immigrants seeking asylum or refuge in the United States has many thinking about another time, a time when another population was incarcerated in this country in the name of national security. The time was World War Two, and the people were Japanese Americans.
Many would not speak openly about their incarceration. That means their children and grandchildren don’t know much. But they’ve found artifacts that have survived the last 75 years — pieces tucked away in attics, and closets, and basements.
That period of history is the subject of “Order 9066," an eight-part audio series. This preview features producer Kate Ellis, museum specialist Noriko Sanafuji, and San Franciscan Norman Ishimoto.