Episode 4: Relocation to Idaho

Internment is a difficult subject to write about. For far too long, it was an unspoken tragedy in our shared history. Older generations of Japanese Americans often struggled to talk about it, and many passed on without fully vocalizing what they experienced. In history books, it was often a small blurb, if included at all. Yet it was a monumental experience for those who lived it. 

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, families were forced to sell most of what they owned, leave behind their homes and farms, and board buses headed towards an unknown future. In Gresham, those who didn’t opt to farm beets arrived at the Portland Assembly Center, where they were incarcerated in livestock stalls. After, many headed to a camp called Minidoka, deep in the dusty Idaho desert. There, Japanese Americans tried to make the best of the war years by cultivating gardens, participating in sports and hobbies, and documenting the time in their newspaper and yearbook. 

The experience was a difficult one. Many dealt with the confusion of being American citizens yet being targeted by the country they were proud to call home. The days dragged on, and no one knew how long internment would last. Many wondered what life would be like after. Would they be able to get back to their farms? Would their communities accept them? Or would they have to start over somewhere else? When the war finally ended, many Japanese Americans indeed faced hostility upon their return. But many also saw an opportunity for justice and community-building.

In this special two-episode story, we'll follow locals through these difficult years and the decades that followed. We’ll hear the voices of families lived through them and hear their thoughts about how they shaped our shared history. Internment is just one story in the Japanese American experience, but it’s an important one. We hope that you’ll join us for it.