David Sakura recalls life in Japanese detention camps in the United States during World War II. Program celebrates President Carter's bill proclaiming May 4 - May 10 Asian Pacific Heritage Week in honor of the cultural traditions of Asian Americans. Host Barbara Barrow-Murray speaks with Dr. David Sakura (part of Boston's Asian Pacific Heritage Week planning committee and member of the Japanese American Citizen's League) and Tin Yue Wan (a noted Chinese artist) in separate interviews. Topics of discussion with Sakura include the meaning of Asian Pacific Heritage Week, the difficulties in getting such a bill passed, the educational work of the Japanese American Citizens League, and Japanese detention camps in the United States during World War II. Topics with Wan include the five styles of Chinese painting, how his work has been received, and what his life was like in Hong Kong. Program includes a mini "gallery talk" by Wan. Translation of Wan's responses to Murray provided by Wan's daughter. Program includes a previously aired dance segment from Program 822, "Celebrate the Year of the Horse." Produced by Barbara Barrow-Murray.

Sculptor Ruth Asawa has been associated with some of the most notable figures in American 20th century art: Josef Albers, Buckminster Fuller, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns. This Educator Guide is dedicated to highlighting arts education in the Bay Area and the model programs established by Asawa and her family.

On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The next day, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan. Two months later, on February 19, 1942, the lives of thousands of Japanese Americans were dramatically changed when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This order led to the assembly and evacuation and relocation of nearly 122,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry on the west coast of the United States.

As the picture of the 1942 Santa Ana High School graduating class shows, uniformed graduates were headed into the service right after graduation day some may have been volunteers and others drafted. Those who weren't eligible for service could volunteer to help the war effort at home. As the images in this topic show, people at home contributed to the war effort in a variety of ways. Many people readied for possible enemy attack. In one photograph men carry glass globes that will dim street lamps and allow for a "blackout" so that enemy planes won't be able to see the location of a city or town. Another photograph shows volunteer air spotters looking at a map, and another shows a women at a table recruiting volunteers to help spot suspicious aircraft. Raising money was another way to help. Some civilians supported the war effort by buying war bonds directly. Others raised money for war bonds through fundraisers like the Shangri La Queen beauty contest, pictured here. Many products were rationed during the war, and the government emphasized the importance of self-sufficiency. Nearly 20 million Americans including the fourth-grade children in Colorado and a Japanese-American family relocated to Madison, Wisconsin, shown here answered the government's request to plant "victory gardens" to raise their own food. These gardens, large and small, produced up to 40% of all food that was consumed. One photo even shows children raising rabbits for food in their back yard. Not everyone supported the war effort. As you can see in the photograph of a peace protest at UC Berkeley, some citizens wanted no part in the war and held peace strikes and rallies. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, life at home changed for Japanese Americans. Those on the West Coast faced internment in addition to prejudice and discrimination. During a brief period before internment became mandatory, Japanese Americans were allowed to choose voluntary evacuation to the Midwest. A photograph shows the Nomura family standing in front of their new home in Madison, Wisconsin.