The 89th Town Hall brought together Densho project founder Tom Ikeda and bestselling author of “The Boys in the Boat” Daniel James Brown to share about the resilience of interned Japanese-Americans during World War II.

The Densho project began in 1996 as an effort to collect and preserve the first-person, oral histories of interned Japanese-Americans during World War II. Over the past 30 years, the project has collected hundreds of first-hand accounts and thousands of documents that tell the story of living in a time full of xenophobia, racism and Japanese internment.

Brown has spent his life carrying both the privilege and the burden of retelling the heroic stories of Americans.

“As a storyteller and a story-keeper, I am responsible for getting it right because they are no longer around to tell their version of the story,” Brown said.

Brown’s most recent book, “Facing the Mountain,” tells the stories of four Japanese-Americans, all part of the all- Japanese unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. These four young men, Katsugo Miho, Gordon Hirabayashi, Fred Shiosaki and Rudy Tokiwa, chose to fight for America across the sea even though their families were at risk of being sent away to internment camps. Their brave acts of patriotism in a time of unrest made an important impact on Civil Rights and equality in America.

AP United States History students were invited to attend this month’s Town Hall because of its connection to their current unit on the two World Wars. Fresno Christian APUSH student, Caleb Schreur, ‘27, was intrigued to learn more about the Japanese Internment through the Town Hall.

“I thought it was really cool how, after they were persecuted, they still desired to go out and serve their country,” Schreur said.

Internment began in 1942 in the United States as a result of rising xenophobia, nativist ideologies and the attack on Pearl Harbor. Within a few months, ten internment camps were built throughout the western United States to house Japanese-Americans. By the end of the war, roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans were relocated to these internment camps.

The 442nd Regiment, despite losing 75% of its manpower by the end of the war, became the most decorated unit of its size (over 4,000 soldiers at its peak) in American history.

Gallery • 8 Photos

Ethan Klassen

Seniors Danielle Arndt and Madeleine Durham interviewed Ikeda and Brown backstage before Town Hall.

The next Town Hall will take place on March 18, featuring Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings.

For more photos from The Feather visit our Media page.

To purchase photos visit our SmugMug.

For more from The Feather, visit Girls basketball Senior Night or Fresno Christian choir hosts the 11th annual Valentine’s Concert.