Mitzi Naohara Podcast by alannakagawa

www.alannakagawa.com

This is the second podcast for UNFINISHED PROOF NINOMIYA , my exhibition at CalState University Dominguez Hills. My name is Alan Nakagawa.

In 1942, at the thrust of WWII, the Ninomiya Family were relocated to Poston AZ, to the Poston Internment Camp. Like 120,000 other Japanese Americans, they were up rooted from the West Coast and sent to prison-like camps solely because they were of Japanese decent and regardless of the fact that they were US citizens.

At the opening of the UNFINISHED PROOF NINOMIYA exhibition, I was introduced to Mitzi Naohara, who was one of the 120,000. She and her family were sent to Poston, just like the Ninomiya’s.

I thought it would be good to include her voice in the exhibition, to put some context and first hand experience of this integral history in the art show.

Luckily, Mitzi Naohara was receptive. On May 21, 2019 at Sakura Gardens, a senior living facility in Boyle Heights, I sat down with Ms. Naohara and recorded a two-hour conversation. The following are excerpts from this recording. I’ll be donating the entire recording to the Gerth Archive at CalState Dominguez Hills.