Japanese American Day of Remembrance: History, Poems, and Relevance Today - Lawrence Matsuda

Dr. Lawrence Matsuda was born during World War II in the Internment Camp at Minidoka, Idaho, where his family was incarcerated after forced removal from the West Coast.  He grew up to attend the University of Washington, earning his Ph. D. while serving in the Army Reserves.  He devoted 27 years to education as a junior high school language arts teacher and Seattle School District principal and administrator, creating the first Asian American history course in Washington state. An award-winning poet and writer, he memorialized the Japanese Internment experience in many of his works, including the poems in A Cold Wind from Idaho.  He co-edited the textbook, Community and Difference: Teaching, Pluralism and Social Justice, which won the 2006 National Association of Multicultural Education Phillip Chinn Award.  His passion for social justice extends beyond his writing to his work in securing the apology and reparations for World War II incarceration and his involvement with the Asian Coalition for Equality and the Japanese American Citizens League.

AP article about Lava Ridge wind farm - https://apnews.com/article/minidoka-idaho-pilgrimage-japanese-americans-incarcerated-wind-505960bd4f634633ef373e1bde447570

The video used by Dr, Matsuda in his presentation  can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ckdtjfj616mq6za/Minidoka%202%281080p%29.mp4?dl=0