JACKSON, Wyo. — Center for the Arts is proud to present an exclusive presentation of a lecture by Sam Mihara, the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Jefferson Lecturer and Former Incarceree
This event will delve into the history and personal stories of an American concentration camp located in Wyoming during World War II. The firsthand accounts from presenters breathe life into historical stories.
The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation’s Board Member, Sam Mihara, was named as the National Endowment for the Humanities’ 51st Jefferson Lecturer. Established in 1972, the lecture is the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities. Mihara is the first Japanese American to give the lecture, a survivor of the WWII Heart Mountain incarceration camp, the oldest recipient of the honor at 91, and the only former rocket scientist.
Delivering his lecture for only the second time, audience members will hear his heart-wrenching experience and see historical photos from private and public collections. Following the presentation, a panel moderated by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation Board Chair Shirley Ann Higuchi will include Peter K. Simpson, brother of the late Senator Alan Simpson and Wyoming icon, Vice-Chair Douglas Nelson, and HWMF Executive Director Aura Sunada Newlin.
The parallels between 1943 and current events cannot be dismissed, and now, it’s more important than ever to tell the history of the incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. The camp land is also located on the ancestral home of the Apsáalooke, and the parallels run deep. It holds physical and spiritual importance to both communities and begs the question, “If it could happen then, can it happen again?”
Panelists will examine their own histories that are intertwined with the incarceration, share insights on the presentations, discuss the relevance to current events, and seek out a path forward prioritizing unity – as the late Senator Simpson and his lifelong friend, the late Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, would have wanted.
Throughout the discussion, panelists will interweave stories from the new Heart Mountain publications including the historical “Images of America: Heart Mountain” book and a graphic novel, “From Behind Barbed Wire to Washington: The Remarkable Friendship of Norman Mineta and Alan Simpson.” Afterward, publications will be available for sale and signing by the authors.
Head to The Center at 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, for this unforgettable event.
