Anti-Asian violence: A modern-day occurrence? Not at all. Fear, hatred, and racism toward the Chinese and Japanese began in the mid-1800s, culminating with the incarceration of more than 125,000 Japanese at the beginning of WWII, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens. From the perspective of a third-generation Japanese American (Sansei), we will discuss how, when, and why racism landed Americans in what is more accurately described as prison camps, and what we can do to countermand the effect of anti-Asian violence and racism in America today.

Instructor: Denny Kato was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a third-generation Japanese American, or Sansei. He graduated from Walnut Hills High School, received a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati in 1971, and served in the U.S. Army as a 1LT in military intelligence. After retirement from restaurant management, what started out for Denny as curiosity about his family history grew into thoroughly researching how people of Japanese descent were forced from their homes during World War II and placed in internment camps. Like the fifteen members of his family who were incarcerated, most were American.

The course dates are Thursdays, April 25, May 2, 9, and 16. This is an OLLI Scholar course.