World War II was a very different experience for Japanese Americans. Racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership resulted in over 120,000 imprisoned for the crime of looking like the enemy. Join storyteller Anne Shimojima as she shares the inspiring story of her family’s journey from Japan and through the incarceration camps. Anne illustrates her talk with photos from her family and the National Archives, showing a journey of determination, perseverance, and strength.
Anne Shimojima, a native Chicagoan, has been telling stories from her Asian heritage and around the world for forty years at festivals, schools, libraries, museums, and senior communities. Her venues include the National Storytelling Festival, Fillet of Solo, This Much is True, and as Teller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center. In 2019 she was invited to tell her family’s World War II incarceration camp story at three Tokyo high schools by the Japanese government and her CD Sakura Tales: Stories from Japan won a Storytelling World Honor Award in 2019. In 2022, Anne was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan for her outstanding contributions in promoting Japanese culture in the U.S. and promoting friendly relations and mutual understanding between Japan and the U.S.
The performer’s fee will be donated to Densho, a Seattle nonprofit dedicated to providing educational materials and stories of Japanese Americans during World War II.
- General admission seating. Doors at 3:00 PM.
- Show will run 60 minutes with a Q&A session to follow.
- Entire venue is fully accessible.
- Cash and Venmo/Zelle sales at the door if tickets are still available.
- Dining is available downstairs before and after the performance.
- Free parking in nearby lot and metered on the street.
SOLO SUNDAY is produced by SCOTT WHITEHAIR, creator of Story Lab Chicago, This Much Is True, and Do Not Submit. More info at www.scottwhitehair.com.
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