Yae Wada: 45 Years of Anger (film)

Video documentary produced by "What Does It Mean To Be American?" as part of the Mineta Legacy Project, which features an interview with former Japanese American incarceree, Yae Wada . ^[1] At the age of 99, Wada recounts her memories of being placed in concentration camps during World War II, and how she overcame her anger towards the experience.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor , Wada was initially concerned for the Issei generation who were not allowed to become citizens by law, but was shocked to discover that she herself would also be incarcerated, despite being an American citizen. The treatment that included living in horse stalls at Tanforan Assembly Center and imprisonment at a concentration camp in Topaz , Utah, made Wada angry from the beginning. Before the end of the war, Wada's family was allowed to leave Topaz and relocate to Cleveland, Ohio, where she continued facing discrimination by people she encountered.

43 years after the end of World War II, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 granted redress of $20,000 and a formal presidential apology to every surviving U.S. citizen or legal resident immigrant of Japanese ancestry incarcerated during World War II. Wada recalls that receiving reparations and a formal apology had allowed her to move forward from her past anger. At the video's conclusion, Wada states that she wants people to remember to always have hope and never give up.

This video primarily features a 2019 interview with Yae Wada edited with archival photos. This video was produced as part of a teaching curriculum on the topic of Justice & Reconciliation that examines the Japanese American Redress Movement. Yae Wada passed away on February 24, 2023, at the age of 103-years-old. ^[2]

Might also like Rebel with a Cause: The Life of Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga (2016); Justice Now! Reparations Now! (1988/2002); Yuri Kochiyama: Passion for Justice (1993)