Japanese Community Experience During WWII

Join us for a powerful firsthand account of Japanese American life during World War II and hear personal and community stories of those who lived in Washington. 

Judy Kusakabe was one of 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated during World War II.  

As a baby, Judy’s family lived in a tiny barrack under a ferris wheel when they were imprisoned on the Puyallup Fairgrounds. But they felt lucky, because others had to live in filthy, smelly horse stalls.  

Judy has been speaking about the incarceration for more than 20 years to audiences of all ages. She will share the stories of her Japanese American friends and family before, during, and after they were sent to prison camps by the U.S. government.