The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559

THE JOURNAL OF BEN UCHIDA: CITIZEN 13559

FEBRUARY 29–MARCH 22, 2020 WINNINGSTAD THEATRE

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A CITY PL AYBILL AND PERFORMING ARTS MAGAZINE MARCH 2020

THE JOURNAL OF BEN UCHIDA: CITIZEN 13559 CONTENTS:

fly SPRING BREAK CAMPS

PARTIES

M U LT N O M A H ARTS CENTER AFFORDABLE CLASSES FOR ALL AGES

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STORIES OF IMPRISONMENT

True stories of impact from our collaborators.

DANCE MUSIC THEATRE VISUAL ARTS LITERARY ARTS

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

Learn about the actors onstage and people behind the scenes.

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USE YOUR IMAGINATION

What would it feel like to be seen as an enemy in your own country?

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Message from our Collaborators Welcome to Oregon Children’s Theatre. As you watch this play, remember that it is based on events that are playing out in a similar manner on our southern border today. In order to better understand the impact, we share two true stories from an artist and a scholar collaborating with us on the play whose lives were forever changed by the concentration camps, injustice and racism that you’ll see played out on stage today.

My mother was incarcerated in a concentration camp on our own soil during World War II. She had broken no laws and was a loyal American citizen. Her father, my grandfather, had lived and worked in the U.S. for more than 40 years and Grandma was the treasurer for a war bond effort among Japanese immigrants. They were all uprooted from their homes and placed under armed guard, surrounded by barbed wire. Just because they looked like the enemy.

Six days after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, my father volunteered for our country’s armed forces.

When he and Mom returned to their hometown in Oregon after the war, the names of Japanese American World War II veterans had been blotted from a community honor roll of GIs. More than 1,800 residents signed petitions telling my parents and others of Japanese descent that “No Japs are Wanted in Hood River.”

Today I worry about how we treat “others”—as well as the consequences of racism and hysteria.

Most of us are descendants of immigrants to this country. We have reason to reflect on lessons from our past with a commitment to protect our liberties today. We must do this as a promise for our future and a declaration of hope for our youth.

Linda Tamura Dramaturg & Professor of Education Emerita, Willamette University

I am a Sansei, third generation Japanese American. My grandfather married his “Picture Bride” in 1916 and settled in Hood River/Odell, Oregon. I only met my grandfather once, and never knew my grandmother, as she died in childbirth with her ninth child when my mother was 16 years old.

My mother had a dream to become a nurse and as the oldest daughter her responsibility might have been to care for her younger siblings, but because of her dream, my grandfather took her to Portland’s Nihonmachi, Japantown.

She finished nursing school to become the first Japanese American nurse in Portland. Despite her education, she was assigned by the U.S. Public Health Service to Mayer Assembly Center as the 225th incarcerated person there, followed by her incarceration at the Poston Internment Camp.

Married in Poston, my parents resettled in Iowa.

Due to all of these circumstances, I grew up in an environment needing to justify and explain who I was. The feelings of a child who experiences racism, rejection, and stern judgment is a loss for our country. We must acknowledge, heal and ensure that any action, order, law or policy that creates suffering for a few does not create the democracy America can truly be.

Chisao Hata Choreographer & Cultural Consultant

Special thanks to the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, a history museum in Portland charged with the preservation and sharing of the history and culture of the Nikkei community, for their support of the cultural representation and historical accuracy of this production. For more information, visit their website at oregonnikkei.org.

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THE JOURNAL OF BEN UCHIDA: CITIZEN 13559

BY NAOMI IIZUKA FEBRUARY 29–MARCH 22, 2020 | WINNINGSTAD THEATRE

Adapted from The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559 Mirror Lake Internment Camp by Barry Denenberg Director Dmae Roberts

Choreographer & Cultural Consultant Chisao Hata

Scenic Designer John Kashiwabara

Props Designer Victoria Alvarez-Chacon

Costume Designer Wanda Walden

Lighting Designer Jennifer Lin

Sound Designer Lawrence Siulagi

Dramaturg & Education Consultant Linda Tamura

Fight Choreographer Kristen Mun

Dialect Coach Kazuko Ikeda

Stage Manager Amanda Vander Hyde

Associate Director Samson Syharath

EXCLUSIVE SEASON SPONSOR

SUPPORTING SEASON SPONSORS

MARKETING SPONSORS

This Play was commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and first produced and presented by John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2006.

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Mila Bednarek Tayanna Cator Theo Curl

CAST (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

David J. Loftus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Masao Uchida/Chorus Jonathan Miles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soldier/Radio Announcer/ Danny/Caller/Mr. Mills/Chorus Paige Rogers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miss Kroll/Neighbor/Chorus Sumi Wu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Lily Uchida/Chorus Jenna Yokoyama. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naomi Uchida/Chorus Ken Yoshikawa ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Ben Uchida

Hazel Godfrey Miles Grand Soren Holbrook Finnegan McCurdy Amara Paulson

PRODUCTION CREW Morgan Yeates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Technical Director Ian Anderson-Priddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Production Electrician Rachel Lee Millena. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Stage Manager

Henry Beh Reames Abby Beh Reames

Wishing you the HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS from OCT!

WINNINGSTAD THEATRE HOUSE CREW Jen Raynak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Department Head Stagehand A portion of the stage labor for this production is provided by IATSE Local 28.

The March 7, 2:00pm performance will be sign interpreted by Don Coates.

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THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FROM THE BOARD, STAFF, CAST & CREW TO: Bud’s Lites IATSE Local 28 Partners of The Auditorium Garage Indigo Design, LLC Misty Tompoles, Artslandia

PATRON INFORMATION

Japanese American Citizens League Japanese American Museum of Oregon Chisao Hata Linda Tamura Joni Kimura

Lauren Yoshiko Terry Mitzi Asai Amisa Chiu Mike Williams, Bulk Bookstore Tsuru for Solidarity Charles Lattin

Oregon Children’s Theatre’s box office is located at 1939 NE Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon.

Box office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Tickets can be ordered online at www.octc.org or by calling 503-228-9571.

Wheelchair seating is available at all performances and should be reserved in advance through Oregon Children’s Theatre’s box office. Selected performances are sign language interpreted.

Infrared audio enhancement and children’s booster seats are available at the cloakroom.

CAST DAVID LOFTUS

Mr. Masao Uchida/Chorus

Like Ben, David Loftus’s mother was born here: in Hood River. Like Mr. Uchida, her father came to the U.S. from Japan (in 1904), and her mother was a picture bride (in 1911). Like Ben, Mitsuko Asai/Mitzi Loftus was sent to the camps with her family. She was 10 years old. The Asai family were imprisoned for a year at Tule Lake, California; then two years at Heart Mountain, Wyoming.

Today, his Asai cousins still work the farm in Hood River. David is honored to portray Mr. Uchida because, in a way, he is playing his grandfather.

JONATHAN MILES

Soldier/Radio Announcer/ Danny/Caller/Mr. Mills/ Chorus

Jonathan Miles is a Portlandbased actor working in film, television and (his first love) theatre. He recently had the honor of playing Guildenstern and the Gravedigger in Speculative Drama’s Lake House Hamlet as well as Ty Williamson in Sordid Lives at Twilight Theater.

Jonathan’s first feature film, More Than Only, won best LGBTQ Film in the Oregon Independent Film Festival and his latest feature film, Escaping Freedom, is currently touring festivals. When not busy acting he enjoys rehabbing old furniture, working as a production assistant and watching old episodes of The Nanny. Jonathan is represented by Option Talent.

PAIGE ROGERS

Miss Kroll/Neighbor/ Chorus

Paige is a Midwestern gal with a Bachelors in Arts Administration and Theatre from Drury University. After graduating, she studied at the Portland Actors Conservatory (PAC). Paige is the Managing Director of Staged! and a company member of Defunkt Theatre.

Some credits include Pack Member, Mrs. Crouch, Maise, Hermione in Me...Jane: the Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall (Oregon Children’s Theatre), Sarah in Map of Virtue (Theatre Vertigo), Brinn in Girl in the Red Corner (Defunkt Theatre), She is Fierce (Enso Theatre Ensemble), and Carol in The Amish Project (PAC). Thanks to her dear friend, Samson,

who continues to encourage her to follow her heart and without whose words she would not be here.

SUMI WU

Mrs. Lily Uchida/Chorus

Sumi recently appeared as a movement artist in Portland Opera’s The Little Match Girl Passion and has performed with Imago Theatre in Baudelaire, Black Lizard and the ‘operas beyond words’ Stage Left Lost and Cuban Missile Tango. She was the Narrator in Gambatte Be Strong at the 2017 Vanport Mosaic and multiple characters in Citizen Min. Recent musical roles were violinist for Street Scene’s production of Shakespeare’s Lucrece and Imago Theatre’s Hotel Gone. Sumi is also a sculptor, whose large-scale public art commissions include BounceSplashSwim at Genesee Hill Elementary School in Seattle.

JENNA YOKOYAMA Naomi Uchida/Chorus Jenna Yokoyama is a Japanese American actor, radio producer, and musician. She is a

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CAST & CREATIVE TEAM descendent of survivors of the Manzanar concentration camp. This is her first production with Oregon Children’s Theater. Her recent Portland stage work includes co-writing and appearing in Gambatte: An American Legacy (Vanport Mosaic Festival), participation in the Fertile Ground Festival and Climate Change Theatre Action. She can be heard on the radio as co-host and producer of the Asian/Pacific-Islander focused program, Pacific Underground. She would like to thank her family, friends, and nikkei community for all their support.

KEN YOSHIKAWA Ben Uchida

Ken is honored to represent the Japanese American community in his debut performance with Oregon Children’s Theatre. He is also a spoken-word artist who recently published his first book of poetry Monster Colored Glasses with Portlandbased Lightship Press. He performed his poetic solo-show The Art of Flyswatting as part of the Pan-Asian Repertory Theatre’s NuWorks Festival 2019 off-Broadway in NYC. Notable credits include 1984 (Artists Rep); Gambatte (Vanport Mosaic); Mary Poppins (NW Children’s Theater); Chitra, the Girl Prince (NW Children’s Theater); Twelfth Night (Oregon Adventure Theatre); and Mojada, a Medea in Los Angeles (Portland Center Stage). He is thankful for his teachers, family and friends.

DMAE ROBERTS Director

Dmae Roberts, a biracial Asian American, is a two-time Peabody winning public radio producer/ writer. She is the executive producer of MediaRites, a nonprofit dedicated to multicultural productions and Theatre Diaspora, Oregon’s first Asian American/Pacific Islander Theatre company. As a theater artist, she has won two Drammys, one for her acting and one for her play Picasso In the Back Seat, which received its world premiere at Artists Repertory Theatre and won the Oregon Book Award. She has performed, written, produced, and directed more than 30 stage plays in her career on Portland stages including the IFCC theatre, OSF-Portland, Profile Theatre, Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company, Fuse Theatre Ensemble and Artists Rep.

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CHISAO HATA

Choreographer & Cultural Consultant

Chisao is a performing artist, community organizer and global citizen artist. Through her performance work she continues to share the Japanese American story with communities from Hiroshima, Japan to Cuba, and New Mexico to Ontario, Oregon. Her choreo-poems, inspiring talks, creative exchanges, and non-traditional approaches weave together community connections. With energy, and wisdom she teaches us that through art and freedom of expression we can celebrate what it means to be human. Her talents are shared as an Oregon Humanities Conversation Leader and Vanport Mosaic Stories in Movement artist and facilitator. Chisao developed GAMBATTE: An American Legacy, stories of Japanese American dispossession and resilience in Portland, Oregon and she is a guest artist at the Dance Exchange in Takoma Park, Maryland. Chisao is on the Board of Directors for the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, American Music Program and serves on the Advisory Board of the Physicians for Social Responsibility. She is a founding member of Portland Taiko and Theatre Diaspora and has inspired countless students to pursue the art of dance. This is Ms. Hata’s first OCT production as choreographer and cultural consultant. Her work weaves Japanese American stories into America’s emotional legacies embodying the lessons of injustice, creative resilience and survival.

JOHN KASHIWABARA Scenic Designer

John Kashiwabara is a co-founder of the art and architecture company rhiza A+D. rhiza’s studio and workshop is located in Portland, Oregon where, for two decades, it has created unique works of architecture, public art, furniture, lighting, and temporary installations. Notable local works are the “Knotted Gateway Series” along the Eastbank Esplanade, the “Big Pipe Portal” on Swan Island, and the Timberline Lodge Winter Entrance. rhiza A+D has also designed theatrical sets for Shaking the Tree Theater, Performance Works Northwest, PICA’s TBA Festival, and Ten Tiny Dances. John’s most recent set for OCT was 2019’s The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors. He is deeply honored to help tell the story of Ben Uchida.

VICTORIA ALVAREZ-CHACON Props Designer

Victoria Alvarez-Chacon hails from Sacramento CA, where she studied all aspects of theater on, off, and above the stage. As an acting apprentice in Louisville KY, Victoria met and began to collaborate with Portland area theater artists. This is Victoria’s first go-around with Oregon Children’s Theatre and she could not be more excited to work on such an important story.

WANDA WALDEN Costume Designer

Wanda Walden has been a costumer for over thirty years.

Her most recent credit with Oregon Children’s Theatre was for And in This Corner: Cassius Clay. At Artists Repertory Theatre, she has designed School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play, a co-production with Portland Center Stage, and Indecent, a co-production Profile Theatre. Wanda is the resident costumer for PassinArt Theatre where her recent credits include Black Nativity, The No Play, and Two Trains Running. Artists Repertory Theatre Credits: It’s a Wonderful Life, Skeleton Crew, An Octoroon, and We Are Proud to Present.

Profile Theatre: Mother Courage, Ruined, Fires in the Mirror, and The Secretaries.

Portland Playhouse Credits: Pipeline, The Wolves, Crowns, How I Learned What I Learned. MediaRites/Coho Brothers: Paranormal. Portland Actors Conservatory: Never in My Lifetime, Incident of the Curious Dog in the Nighttime, Othello Remix, All My Sons, and Mariso.

JENNIFER LIN

Lighting Designer

Jennifer Lin is a freelance lighting designer and stage technician who has been working behind the scenes for Portland theater, opera, and dance since 2008. She attended Portland State University and in 2007 received The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival’s Achievement Award for her lighting design for PSU’s production of Electra. Her designs have spanned a wide range of venues, disciplines and styles, from site-specific dance (Re/Activate at Wieden + Kennedy) to innovative opera in bars (Opera Theatre Oregon’s The Medium at the Someday Lounge) to children’s theater (OCT’s Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly). Jennifer is a corecompany member of Third Rail Repertory

Theatre, and a member of IATSE local 28. Recent projects include Mother Come Home (Third Rail Repertory Theatre), The Evolve Project (The August Wilson Red Door Project), and Miss Bennett— Christmas at Pemberly.

LAWRENCE SIULIGI Sound Designer

Lawrence Siulagi is a performer, director, playwright, sound and projection designer, and music composer.

Originally from San Diego, he pursued a Bachelors degree in the Dramatic Arts (directing emphasis) at San Diego State University; and film editing and marketing at the University of Southern California. Lawrence is an Associate Artist with Bag&Baggage Productions and was recently in their productions of Deathtrap (as Sidney Bruhl) and Romeo & Juliet/Layla & Majnun (as The Sayyid). Lawrence has also worked with Portland Opera, Portland Actors Ensemble, Milagro Theatre, LA Opera and Crave Theatre. Lawrence is the resident sound designer for the Milagro Theatre where he designed recent shows En El Tiempo de Las Mariposa (dir. C. Drogosch) and Huínca (dir. R. Solunaya). He is excited and grateful to be working with the Oregon Children’s

Theatre on this wonderful play. He dedicates this show to his two daughters, Olivia and Alma.

KRISTEN MUN

Fight Choreographer

Kristen Mun has worked as a fight choreographer for over half a dozen theater companies in the Portland area and has trained in theatrical combat for over 10 years. She has been recognized for her fight choreography four times by the Portland Drammy Awards. Outside of Portland she has worked at Utah Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Repertory Theatre, and was the assistant fight choreographer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 2 seasons (09-10). She owes her skills and training to Dueling Arts International, Jon Toppo, and Chris Duval.

LINDA TAMURA

Dramaturg & Education Consultant

A third-generation Japanese American, Linda Tamura was an orchard kid raised in Hood River and daughter of a World War II veteran. As a kid, Linda did not realize that the “camp” her mom mentioned was not a summer camp at all. That led her to ask a lot of questions and gradually write two books about Japanese Americans (Nisei Soldiers Break Their Silence and

The Hood River Issei). Linda is a former elementary teacher, Professor of Education Emerita at Willamette University and a coeditor-in-chief of The Oregon Encyclopedia (oregonencyclopedia.org).

AMANDA VANDER HYDE Stage Manager

A graduate of Western Oregon University with a BFA in Technical Production, Amanda Vander Hyde is a current freelance stage manager in the Portland theater scene. She works as a Production and Stage Manager for the likes of CoHo, Triangle, Portland Actor’s Conservatory, Many Hats Collaboration, and Chapel Theatre. She also works as the Volunteer Coordinator and resident Stage Manager at the Majestic Theatre. She is very excited to return to Oregon Children’s Theatre after previously stage managing last season.

She wants to thank her partner for putting up with her late hours and constant busyness.

SAMSON SYHARATH Associate Director

Samson is a multidisciplinary artist, actor, director, producer, instructor, and administrator focusing on visibility of Asian-American artists and underserved communities. After receiving a

Continued on page 15

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Continued from page 13 B.A. from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, Samson trained at the Portland Actors Conservatory. He was part of the Theatre Communications Group’s Rising Leaders of Color Cohort in 2017 featured

by American Theatre Magazine and was the recipient of the Portland Civic Theatre Guild’s Leslie O. Fulton Fellowship that same year. He is a co-founder and company member of Theatre Diaspora.

RACHEL LEE MILLENA Assistant Stage Manager

Rachel is very passionate about representation in storytelling, and is honored to return to OCT to take part in bringing this important Asian-American story to the stage.

Previously, she assistant stage managed Jason and the Argonauts at OCT and was the Season 11 stage management apprentice at Portland Playhouse. She earned her BA in Theater from UCLA. Love and thanks to Mom, Dad, RJ, Josh, and all the pals in cleverly named group texts for their support and memes.

MARCELLA CROWSON Artistic Director

Marcella is the Artistic Director at OCT. She was fortunate to be steeped in theater from a young age, growing up in Ashland, Oregon. She played a variety of aliens, old ladies and narrators in her early years—an auspicious beginning to what would become a career in theater spanning 30 years. For OCT, she has directed Me…Jane: the Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall, Jason & the Argonauts, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show (Drammy Award Winner for Outstanding Achievement in Puppetry), Flora & Ulysses, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Timmy Failure, Zombie in Love (Drammy Award Winner for Best Director of a Musical), The Stinky Cheese Man, The Storm in the Barn, A Wrinkle in Time, On the Eve of Friday Morning, Dis/Troy, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. She has had the great privilege of working for such theaters as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Portland Center Stage, CoHo Productions, Live on Stage, Oregon Repertory Theatre, and Eugene Festival of Musical Theatre, among others.

She is on the board of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA.

ROSS MCKEEN

Managing Director

Ross has served as Oregon Children’s Theatre’s Managing Director since 2008. He has over three decades of

experience in planning, financial analysis, communications, and fundraising for nonprofits and public institutions. Prior to joining OCT, Ross worked as a writer and an independent fundraising and planning consultant specializing in arts and cultural organizations. He is proud to support OCT’s powerful mission of transforming lives through exceptional theater experiences, and excited about

BARRY DENENBERG Author

Barry Denenberg is the critically acclaimed author of non-fiction and historical fiction.

His historical fiction includes titles in the Dear America, My Name is America, and Royal Diaries series, many of which have been named NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. His nonfiction books have covered a wide array of topics, from Anne Frank to Elvis Presley.

After the publication of An American Hero: The True Story of Charles Lindbergh, Denenberg was interviewed for various documentaries including ABC’s “The Century.” Denenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York and lived in Long Island, Binghamton, New York, and Palisades Park, New Jersey. “I was a serious reader from an early age and when I attended Boston University in 1968, majoring in history, I worked in a bookstore at night,” he says. “After college I was a book buyer for some fine, independent bookstores, some of the nation’s largest retail book chains and a marketing executive in publishing. “At the age of forty I came to the startling realization that the glamorous world of power lunches, power politics, and power trips was not for me. I immediately went to work on the Great American Novel (since destroyed) and was rescued when my future wife, Jean Feiwel (then publisher of Scholastic Inc.) made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Scholastic had received a biography of John F. Kennedy that they deemed unacceptable: would I like to try and write one? “The rest is history in more ways than one. I went on to write biographies of Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, J. Edgar Hoover, Nelson Mandela, Elvis Presley and Voices From Vietnam, an oral history of the war. “Writing some of the first books in the Dear America series was a turning point in my career. Its popularity and the resulting readers’ letters made a great impression on me. This in turn inspired my writing and fueled my research. With my bookstore background and the help of numerous knowledgeable booksellers I am able to assemble an extensive bibliography on each topic I write. “I think there’s an art to both writing and research. I’m a good writer but a better researcher.” Something that has added greatly to Denenberg’s

perspective on writing for young readers is his volunteer work as Director of Creative Writing and Library Services at the Waterside School in Stamford, Connecticut.

Waterside, established in 2001, is an independent school dedicated to educating gifted children of the communities’ lowincome families. Aside from writing and teaching Denenberg’s interests include listening to music, reading (books not related to his research), swimming, practicing yoga and spending time with his family. Barry Denenberg lives in Bedford, New York with his wife and daughter.

NAOMI IIZUKA Playwright

Naomi Iizuka’s plays include 36 Views, Polaroid Stories, Anon(Ymous), Language of Angels, Aloha, Say The Pretty Girls, Tattoo Girl, Skin, At The Vanishing Point, Concerning Strange Devices From The Distant West, 17 Reasons Why, Ghostwritten, Hamlet: Blood In The Brain (a collaboration with CalShakes and Campo Santo + Intersection for the Arts), 3 Truths (a collaboration with Cornerstone Theater Company), and War of the Worlds (a collaboration with Anne Bogart and SITI Company.) Her plays have been produced

by Berkeley Rep, the Goodman, the Guthrie, Cornerstone, Intiman, Children’s Theater Company, the Kennedy Center, the Huntington Theater, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, GeVa, Portland Center Stage, the Public Theatre, Campo Santo + Intersection for the Arts, Dallas Theatre Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s “Next Wave Festival,” and Soho Rep. Her plays were included in Arena Stage’s Our War project and Baltimore Center Stage’s My America project. Iizuka’s plays have been published by Overlook Press, Playscripts, Smith and Kraus, Dramatic Publishing, Sun and Moon Press, and TCG. Iizuka is an alumna of New Dramatists and the recipient of a PEN/Laura Pels Award, an Alpert Award, a Joyce Foundation Award, a Whiting Writers’ Award, a Stavis Award from the National Theatre Conference, a Rockefeller Foundation MAP grant, an NEA/TCG Artist in Residence grant, a McKnight Fellowship, a PEN Center USA West Award for Drama, Princeton University’s Hodder Fellowship, and a Jerome Fellowship. Her play Good Kids was the first play commissioned by the Big Ten Consortium’s New Play Initiative designed to provide more roles for women.

Her latest work, The Last Firefly was workshopped at the Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices and was commissioned and recently produced at the Children’s Theatre Company. Iizuka currently heads the MFA Playwriting program at the University of California, San Diego.

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OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATRE CONTRIBUTOR LIST Oregon Children’s Theatre is proud to acknowledge the support of the many individuals, businesses, foundations, and government agencies that make our work possible. With the support of our community, we can provide exceptional artistic, educational, and outreach programs that reach more than 120,000 people every year. Thank you!

All names listed represent donations made as of November 11, 2019. Email corrections to lydia@octc.org or by calling 503-228-9571 extension 104.

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT $25,000+

The Collins Foundation The Firstenburg Foundation The Hearst Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation The Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the Arts Education & Access Fund Trimet The Shubert Foundation

$10,000–$24,999

Duncan & Cindy Campbell of The Campbell Foundation James & Shirley Rippey Family Foundation Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation of the Oregon Community Foundation Juan Young Trust Kaiser Permanente Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund Oregon Cultural Trust PGE Foundation The Reser Family Foundation The Standard Trust Management Services, LLC U.S. Bank Work for Art including contributions from more than 75 companies and 2,000 employees

$5,000–$9,999

The Boeing Company Herbert A. Templeton Foundation Hoover Family Foundation The Jackson Foundation Lam Research Foundation Northwest Imaging Analysts Spirit Mountain Community Fund Theatre Communications Group

$2,500–$4,999

Apple, Inc. The Autzen Foundation Bank of the West The Fred W. Fields Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation

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KPMG Pietro’s Pizza Portland’5 Centers for the Arts Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust

$1,000–$2,499

Benjamin Buckley Young Actors Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Big Lots Foundation of the Columbus Foundation Bulk Bookstore Dermody Properties Foundation Geffen Mesher & Company H. Dwayne Davis Group Heffernan Insurance Brokers iQ Credit Union Landerholm Family Law McDonald Jacobs, P.C. NIKE North Country Productions Portland Timbers Propel Insurance Simmons & Company Stoel Rives LLP Watson Creative Wieden+Kennedy

$500–$999

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Empire Foods First Interstate Bank Intel

Under $500

Autodesk Barhopper Seafoods, Inc C’est What? LLC Fully NW Natural Sawyer Marglous Foundation Two Rivers Mortgage

MATCHING GIFTS FROM THESE GENEROUS COMPANIES:

Apple, Inc Ameriprise Financial Autodesk Bank of the West The Boeing Company Intel Lam Research Foundation NIKE NW Natural SalesForce.org Portland General Electric & the PGE Foundation The Standard U.S. Bank

INDIVIDUALS $10,000+

Ronni Lacroute Andrew & Nita Gibson Stanley & Susanne Penkin Kyle & Sophia Spencer

$5,000–$9,999

Amanda Carter-Jura & Britt Jura Bill & Kate Bowman Yasodha Gopal & Todd Caulfield Edward Hamilton Kyle & Shelly Hanson The Holbrook Family Jessie Jonas Hugh Mackworth & Josie Mendoza William & Nancy Savage Marianne Sweeney

$2,500–$4,999

Anonymous Dani Baldwin & Tim Ferkel Paul Bovarnick & Nan Waller Ann Brayfield & Joe Emerson Jennifer Cies & Maria Gonzales Jami Curl & Ken Norris Dennis Edwards Andrew Eggert & Verenice Leon William Howe & Joy Bottinelli Jim & Brenda Kehoe Patrick & Janice McConahay Craig Norman & Luke Gilmer Rick Pogue Arlene Schnitzer Brit Springsteen Schnyder & Jeremy Schnyder Laura Thalacker & Kyle Iboshi Arline Toates Shannan & Michael Troyer Heidi & Mark Wilcox Wolfman

$1,000–$2,499

Anonymous Ruth Aprill Taaj Armstrong The Arntson-Fettig Family Nick & Carrie Baldwin-Sayre Amanda & Colin Brainard Judie Dunken & Dave Rianda Stan Foote Vatea Herman & Chris Brisbee Jeff Hurder & Scott Basye Jessica Kisky & Charles Beck Shaun Mammen & Katie Gengler

William Mitchell & Rebecca Wusz Sean Moore & Joe Eustaquio Alex Nunley Sondra & Gordon Pearlman Robyn & Kemp Shuey Sonny & Diane Sonnenstein Nancy Stevens Marilyn & Gene Stubbs Dan & Linda Sullivan Karen & Rusty Wales Michael & Katherine Witteman

$500–$999

Anonymous Richard & Liz Allen Eric Barnes Dan & Tara Binder Erin Eck Kent & Claire Fay Robinson Mary Flaschner Fagan Eddie Feinstein Jessy Friedt & Benjamin Emerson Fred & Cheryl Grossman Jacob & Grant Hamilton Kimberly Howard Veronica & Jesse Leclerc Randy & Teri Lund Leonard & Susan Magazine Heather McClelland & Todd Gienapp The Mock Family Dom & Shawn O’Dierno Nancy Oswald Joan Peacock Sean Phifer Dan & Rosanne Powell Bobbie Regan & Barrett Stambler Carol Streeter & Harold Goldstein Robin Remmick & Ross McKeen Matt Smith & Brian Johnson The Richard & Denyse Stawicki Fund Stepp Family Trust Kimberly & Victor Takla Ken & Teri Tomizawa Emily & Bill Vawter Carolyn Wagner & Russ Garrow Karin Wandtke & Rick Smith Carl & Heather Wilson Rebecca & Randy Woods John & Karen Woolley

$100–$499

Steve Altishin & Kathie Steele Bill & Margaret Antilla Michelle Antolos Julia Appt

Donna Arasin & James Price Ross & Christine Barker Phil Barney & Kathleen Amorose Kathy Baros Friedt & Paul Seabert Bruce & Terri Barton Jon & Mandy Bebe Jean & David Biggs Stephanie Burchfield Marc Byrne & Kayce Wheeler Byrne Pam Caldwell Chris & Pam Callahan Connie Carley Carlos Castro-Pareja Patrick Clancy & Beth Caruso Debs Cook Sharon Cook & Tyrone Snelling James Cox & Brenda Nuckton Kimberly Curry Wolfgang Dengler Sahni Denton Kevin Dier Kim Drake Jean Edmison Derek & Rachel Ellerbrook Kathleen Ellig Jessica Endsworth & Sean Duncan Elizabeth Engberg & Eliza Lawrence Scott Engdahl Catherine Haley Epstein & Doug Epstein James L Eustrom Charles & Christine Farrington Lynn Ferguson Jerry Foster Robert & Ruth Anne Fraley Mark & Whitney Friel Nick Fritel Annabel Furry Richard Frye & Julianne Bowman Sonja & Brendan Gallagher Jennifer & Tim Goldsmith Laura Goodman & Jeff Fish Rosalie Goodman Amy Graham & Alex Cambier Ann & Andrew Greenhill Kathy Griffin Jason & Christine Griffiths Michael Griggs Mary Lou Haas Brian Haliski Pamela Harkin Sharon Hatch & Aaron Smith Hayli Hay Molly & Jonathan Haynes Katherine Heilman Erik Hernandez

Melissa & John Herrold Eric & Nellie Hester Jason & Thao Hinkle Diana Hoang Joseph Hollcraft Maureen Huntley Jennifer & Keith Hurder Emily Ip John C. Jackson Alan & Sharon Jones Michele Keever Katie Kervin Sarah Kilburn Eric & Doris Kimmel Jim & Kathi Kotchik Rena Krumholz Donna Kuester Paul & Karen Lakin Nancy Lang Val Landrum Jeff Lester Scot Lester & Olga Vargas Matthew Lloyd & Elizabeth Reif Tony & Kelly Lucarelli Michelle Maida & James Hager David & Tami Malloy John & Walleska Marandas David Markham & Kim Reis Markham Jay McAdams & Debbie Devine Christina & Ryan McAlvey Kenneth McCallister Martin & Liz McClanan Bob McGranahan & Carole Shellhart Anne Mette Smeenk & Kevin Rentner Roger & Teresa Michaelis Karl & Marsha Michels Chris & Allison Martin Catherine Millar Sherry Mills Kathleen Moja Carole Morse Helle Nathan Carleen Neisnack Patricia Nimelman Jennifer & Mike Nordgaard Jennifer Nordstrom Cheryl Norris Jody Odaniell Michael Osherow Glennellen Pace Sally Palena Michael Partlow Albert Passadore & Judy Parker Analene Pentopoulos William Pickens Barbara Brooks & Mike Pratt Victoria Pratt Morgan Pride Zakary, Sahra and Aly Rahimtoola Sally Remmick Lisa Reynolds

MAA_Artslandia_Ben Uchida_Feb2020.pdf

Bravo Bunch!

We give a huge standing ovation to our supporters who have consistently donated to Oregon Children’s Theatre over the past decade. These donors sustain our vision of a world where all children have the opportunity to learn and grow through the arts. Please join us in thanking them for their humbling and continuous generosity.

David O. Adams Bill & Margaret Antilla Alison Bailey & Chris Lowry Dani Baldwin & Tim Ferkel D.D Bartelt James Bartroff & Marci Clark Ann Brayfield & Joe Emerson Howard Brockman & Anita King Stephanie BurchfieldPam Caldwell Marcella Crowson James Cox & Brenda Nuckton Sahni Denton Jean Edmison Kristine Emberlin Mary Flaschner Fagan Stan Foote Rosalie Goodman Yasodha Gopal & Todd Caulfield Molly & Jonathan Haynes Maureen Huntley Kyle Iboshi & Laura Thalacker Jessie Jonas Eric & Doris Kimmel Joyce & Stanley Loeb The Lombardozzi Family Randy & Teri Lund Hugh Mackworth & Josie Mendoza Roger & Teresa Michaelis William Mitchell & Rebecca Wusz The Murawski-Demarest Family Helle Nathan Carleen Nesinack Gay Otey Laurence Overmire & Nancy McDonald Glennellen Pace Rebecca & Felipe Semper Gordon & Sondra Pearlman Stanley & Susanne Penkin Bobbie Regan & Barrett Stambler Robin Remmick & Ross McKeen Wendy & Steve Rudman Roger Scarbrough & Robyn Williams Kyle & Sophia Spencer Emma Stewart & Ethan Thompson Nancy Stevens Marilyn & Gene Stubbs Arline Toates The Walker Family Heidi & Mark Wilcox Carl & Heather Wilson Delores Wilson

Milwaukie Academy of the Arts

College prep for students who think like artists Free Public Charter High School C

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CM

MY

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Art • Band • Orchestra • Choir • Digital Design Photography • Theatre OPEN HOUSES 4pm-8pm February 20 • April 23 Visit us @ academyofthearts.org 2301 SE Willard St, Milwaukie OR 97222 • 503-353-5843

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THEATRE FOR KIDS?

Peter Rotch Patty Sammis Krist Sandness Maralee & Fred Sautter Val Schaffroth & Steven Kelley Minda, Will, and Alden Seibert Teresa & Sid Scott Jeanette Sharinghousen Monald & Larissa Sharma Amanda Shaver Roseann Sheeon Stephanie SheldonNevarez & Thom Nevarez David Sjolin Kristin Smith Carman Sparks-Dugas & Heather Dugas Alice Spitzer Harry & Sharon Stathos Emma Stewart & Ethan Thompson Victoria, Bryon & Olivia Stolle Anne & David Tankersley Karin & Andre Taylor Bradley Tebo & Margo Haygood Lester Thompson Mathew & Kathryn Thomason Kat Trout Heather Unger & Kyle Steinbaugh Kellen Vanwieringen Elizabeth & Perry Waddell Suzan & Norm Wapnick Christine Warden Carol Warner Lisa Watson & Peter Shanky Sandy & Elaine Weinstein Andy Walter Keith Watson Joshua Weiner, Sylvia Grosvold Anastacia Whitman Lucas & Whitney Welsh Diane & Rick Whidden Emily Windler & Brian Kuwabara Delores Wilson Carrie Young Ronda Zakocs & Dan Brown Paul Zavitkovski

Jim & Kathi Kotchik, in honor of the Stan Foote Youth Access Fund Paul & Karen Lakin, in honor of Stan Foote Virginia Malone, on behalf of Josie Overstreet Jay McAdams & Debbie Devine, in honor of Uncle Stan Catherine Meers in celebration of George and Albert Shifrin Anne Mette Smeenk & Kevin Rentner, in celebration of Erik CR Laurence Overmire & Nancy McDonald, in memory of Fred Carver Glennellen Pace, in honor of Stan Foote Joan Peacock, in memory of Benjamin Buckley Josh Rengert, on behalf of Josie Overstreet Kent & Claire Fay Robinson, in honor of the Stan Foote Youth Access Fund Janine Twining & Lee Shapley, in honor of Stan Foote Alice & Michael Shiffman, in honor of Stan & Susanne Penkin Heidi Vandenhoof, in honor of Josie Overstreet Sandy & Elaine Weinstein, in honor of Stan & Susanne Penkin Mark Wilcox, on behalf of Heidi, Hayden and Emily

IN-KIND GIFTS $5,000–$9,999

Angela Estate Kyle & Sophia Spencer Heidi & Mark Wilcox

$2,500–$4,999

Alan-Smith Insurance, Inc Botanica Floral Design Domaine Serene Rick Linn Vibrant Table Catering & Events

$1,000–$2,499

IN TRIBUTE

Online Registration Opens March 1st!

Improvisational Comedy: Ages 5-8 and 9-13 Musical Theatre: Ages 9-13 Playwriting for Kids: Ages 9-13 Acting for the Camera: Ages 9-13 FREE Open House Showcase Sunday March 8th 2-5pm

Earlybird Discounts!

Sellwood Playhouse 901 SE Spokane St. (971) 344-0155 www.roguepack.org

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Brian Benavidez, in memory of Benjamin Buckley Marc Byrne & Kayce Wheeler Byrne, in honor of Nate Garden Barbara Brooks & Mike Pratt, in honor of Stan Foote and R. Dee C’est What? LLC, in honor of Barbara Kohnen Adriance Kimberly Curry, in honor of Ken Nagel Mary Flaschner Fagan, in memory of Michael Todd Fagan Sonja & Brenda Gallagher in memory of Elizabeth KC Gopal, in honor of Maya Caulfield Jessie Jonas, in honor of Stan “Rooster” Foote Elaine Kohnen, in honor of Madeleine Adriance

Ben & Jerry’s Pearl District Sharon Hatch & Aaron Smith Christopher B. & Cassandra Lodore McDonald Jacobs, P.C. Portland’5 Centers for the Arts Portland Timbers Trinchero Family Estates Victoria Foster Gwin

$500–$999

Amanda Carter-Jura & Britt Jura Bill & Kate Bowman Buoy Beer Company Flooded Fox Den Distillery Vatea Herman Hip Chicks Do Wine Andrew & Nita Gibson Ocean House Bed and Breakfast Pendleton Woolen Mills Bethany Rowland Round Pond Estates Swank & Swine

Under $500

a Cena Ristorante Artslandia The Cheese Bar / Chizu Cinema 21 Coast Cabins Crater Lake Spirits Dog Adventures Northwest Enterprise Rent-A-Car Fade to Light – A Multidimensional Fashion Event Fillmore Trattoria Stan Foote Gorge Paddling Center Bob Hackney Hampton Inn & Suites

by Hilton Kyle & Shelly Hanson Henry Higgins Boiled Bagels Hollywood Theatre Jeff Hurder & Scott Basye Lyn Reynolds Garcia

McMenamins Pub & Breweries Grant McOmie Oregon State Parks Foundation Portland Center Stage Portland Saturday Market Portland Spirit Stephanie SheldonNevarez & Thom Nevarez Shine Distillery & Grill Tanner Creek Tavern The Filling Station Pet Supplies Trifecta Vintage Gas Pump Supply Vivacity Fine Spirits Voicebox Karaoke Yolk

SPOTLIGHT CIRCLE THANK YOU! These donors are leaders in helping enrich our innovative programs linking theater to education, literacy and social justice. On behalf of everyone at Oregon Children’s Theatre, thank you!

$10,000+

Ronni Lacroute Andrew & Nita Gibson Stanley & Susanne Penkin Kyle & Sophia Spencer

$5,000-$9,999

Amanda Carter-Jura & Britt Jura Bill & Kate Bowman Yasodha Gopal & Todd Caulfield Edward Hamilton Kyle & Shelly Hanson The Holbrook Family Jessie Jonas Hugh Mackworth & Josie Mendoza William & Nancy Savage Marianne Sweeney

$2,500-$4,999

Anonymous Dani Baldwin & Tim Ferkel Paul Bovarnick & Nan Waller Ann Brayfield & Joe Emerson Jennifer Cies & Maria Gonzales Jami Curl & Ken Norris Dennis Edwards Andrew Eggert & Verenice Leon William Howe & Joy Bottinelli Jim & Branda Kehoe Patrick & Janice McConahay Craig Norman & Luke Gilmer Rick Pogue Arlene Schnitzer Brit Springsteen Schnyder & Jeremy Schnyder Laura Thalacker & Kyle Iboshi Arline Toates Shannan & Michael Troyer Heidi & Mark Wilcox Wolfman

BY LINDA TAMURA

Imagine that you

and your family

live near Portland.

Your parents work hard and they have high hopes for you and your sister. One day the country of Japan bombs a harbor in Hawaii. You’ve never been to Japan—even though your parents were born there. You’re an American citizen.

But people began to suspect that you—and others whose relatives are from Japan—cannot be trusted. They call you names. The FBI searches your home.

The government tells you that you must leave your home—in one week.

You can only take what you can carry in one suitcase. You don’t know where you’re going, how long you’ll be gone or whether you can return.

You and your family are sent to the former Portland Livestock Exposition.

The animals were moved out, and you and other Japanese Americans moved in. You smell manure. A barbed wire fence surrounds you and armed military guards stand watch.

In this play, Ben Uchida says, “We don’t belong here.

We don’t belong at home either. We don’t belong anywhere.”

Above: Moving to Portland Temporary Detention Center, OR Journal, May 3, 1942, Oregon Historical Society, Japanese American Museum of Oregon Right: Portland Temporary Detention Center, Oregon Journal, 5-3-42, Japanese American Museum of Oregon

What do you think? What more do you want to know?

What would you say to Ben?

FURTHER READING Our friends at Green Bean Books have curated a book list for further reading about Japanese culture, history, and other related topics:

Baseball Saved Us

by Ken Mochizuki

So Far From the Sea

by Eve Bunting

The Bracelet

by Yoshiko Uchida

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

by Laurie Ann Thompson

The Dreamer

by Il Sung Na

A Place to Belong

by Cynthia Kadohata

The War I Finally Won

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The Red Pencil

by Andrea Davis Pinkney

A Long Walk to Water

by Linda Sue Park

The Paper Crane

by Molly Bang

Visit Green Bean Books and receive 20% off these titles!

1600 NE Alberta Street Portland, Oregon 97211 503-954-2354 greenbeanbookspdx.com ARTSLANDIA.COM

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PORTLAND’5 CENTERS FOR THE ARTS FOUNDED IN 1988, Oregon Children’s Theatre (OCT) is Oregon’s largest nonprofit professional theater for young audiences. OCT’s mission is to create exceptional theater experiences that transform lives. OCT believes theater and storytelling can educate, empower, inspire, and entertain in remarkable ways.

OCT annually reaches 120,000 children, parents, and educators from more than 18 Oregon and four Washington counties. OCT offers a year-round Acting Academy for students ages 3-18 and the unique Young Professionals mentoring program.

The company also offers a range of services to schools and the community, including teacher professional development, resource guides, Loud & Clear (a public speaking workshop), an extensive outreach program, and student internship and apprenticeship opportunities.

Under the shared vision of healthier kids and communities, Kaiser Permanente Northwest and OCT are delivering free Educational Theatre Programs to schools and community organizations in Oregon and SW Washington.

This innovative collaboration helps catalyze healthy life choices. Through free touring productions, residencies, workshops and after-school programs, the Educational Theatre Program has served over 400,000 students since its inception in 2006.

Oregon Children’s Theatre is a resident company of the Portland’5 Centers for the Arts and a member of Theatre Communications Group, TYA/USA, Travel Portland, and ASSITEJ, the international children’s theater association. ™ & © Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC, Dear America and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered marks of Scholastic Inc.

Portland’5 Centers for the Arts includes the Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and Antoinette Hatfield Hall, comprising the Newmark Theatre, Dolores Winningstad Theatre, and Brunish Theatre. All are public facilities owned by the City of Portland and managed by Metro through the Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission. Each year approximately one million people attend more than 1,000 performances in these facilities.

Metro Lynn Peterson, Metro Council President City of Portland Ted Wheeler, Mayor Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission Karis Stoudamire-Phillips, Chair Ray Leary Deidra Krys-Rusoff, Secretary-Treasurer John Erickson, Vice-Chair Damien Hall Dañel Malán Deanna Palm Scott Cruickshank, Visitor Venues General Manager Portland’5 Centers for the Arts Robyn Williams, CVE, Executive Director Julie Bunker, Director of Operations Brian Wilson, Director of Event Services Stephanie Viegas Dias, Director of Ticket Services Heather Wilton, Director of Programming, Booking & Marketing Riley Hartman, pacificwild, General Manager Portland’5 Centers for the Arts Advisory Committee Gary Maffei Greg Brown Susan Nielsen Jim Brunberg Brian Sanders Gus Castaneda, Chair Elisa Dozono Daniel A. Sullivan Susan Hartnett George Taylor Greg Heinze Richard Wattenberg Antonio Lara

OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATRE STAFF Marcella Crowson, Artistic Director Ross McKeen, Managing Director Eric Adams, Master Carpenter Nick Altishin, Patron Services Associate Dani Baldwin, Artistic Director, Young Professionals Company Audrey Butler, Educational Theatre Program, Booking Coordinator Tamara Carroll, Educational Theatre Program (ETP) Director Iain Chester, Carpenter Stephanie Cordell, Community Heath Coordinator & Lead Teaching Artist Terra Dawson, Carpenter Jeff Desautels, ETP Production Associate Elizabeth Fagan, Acting Academy Manager Kim Freimoeller, Patron Services Manager Christopher Gerling, Production Manager Bobby Griffin, Development Associate & Grant Writer Michael Hammerstrom, Marketing & Communications Director Karen Hill, Production Coordinator Brooke Larson, Patron Services Assistant Erin MacGillivray YP Production Coordinator Courtney Powell, Marketing Associate Sam Reiter, Administrative Assistant Lydia Simonton, Development Assistant

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Kay Spielman, Business Analyst Leigh Thomas, Graphic Designer Blake Wales, Acting Academy Associate Lucas Welsh, Management Associate Emily Wilken, Scenic Charge Artist and Craftsperson Morgan Yeates, Technical Director

OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Amanda Carter-Jura, President Rachel Ellerbrook, Vice President Jami Curl, Secretary C. Andrew Gibson, Treasurer Taaj Armstrong Kate Bowman Jennifer Cies Marcella Crowson, Artistic Director Andrew Eggert Yasodha Gopal Kyle Hanson Jeff Hurder Veronica Leclerc Ross McKeen, Managing Director Alexandria Nunley Stanley Penkin Laura Thalacker Sondra Pearlman, Founder

EXUBERaNCE IN LEARNING

Preschool to elementary IB education that inspires global learning.

Schedule a school tour and apply online at gspdx.org.

PREJUDICE AND FEAR When people fear, they can treat others badly. People sometimes fear those who are different; maybe their skin color or language is different. When people are afraid of not having enough, they can also mistreat others. About 100 years ago, Japanese immigrants had built healthy farms and businesses in Oregon. Some of their neighbors did not believe Japanese Americans deserved success. When Japan attacked America during World War II, life changed overnight for people of Japanese ancestry in America. President Roosevelt ordered people of Japanese ancestry to leave their homes and farms, and go to American concentration camps, where they had to stay for several years until the war ended.

LOOK CAREFULLY at this old photograph from 1942. What do you see? What seems unusual?

This photo shows people of Japanese ancestry waiting to board a train to an American concentration camp.

They do not know what will happen or when they can go home. Imagine how you would feel.

Write what you can do today to stop hurtful treatment of others in your school or community.

Photo: Japanese American residents leave the cramped North Portland Assembly Center with their few belongings to be relocated by train to an American concentration camp. OHS Research Library, bb016760

Learn more about this history by visiting the Oregon Historical Society EXPERIENCE OREGON exhibit, and read the books Baseball Saved Us and The Journal of Ben Uchida in the “Book Nook� in the HISTORY HUB exhibit.

Admission is free every day to members and Multnomah County residents!

Oregon Historical Society | 1200 SW Park Ave. Portland, OR 97205 | www.ohs.org | 503.222.1741

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VOLCANO! Mount St. Helens in Art FEBRUARY 8 - MAY 17, 2020

portlandartmuseum.org Emmet Gowin, American, born 1941, Mount St. Helens, Washington, 1980, Gelatin silver print, ©Emmet Gowin, Courtesy of Pace/MacGill, New York