Three Reflections on the 2021-22 Katari Program

Editor’s Note: The 2021-22 Katari program, held this year during the January 15-16, 2022 weekend, is usually held in early November at the Manzanar National Historic Site. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to be moved to an online format for the second consecutive year.

Despite the loss of the extremely important placed-based learning component of the program, by all accounts, it seems that we were able to deliver an effective and meaningful educational program for our students. Each of them will be reflecting on their Katari experiences, which we will share here on our web site over the coming weeks.

The following are the thoughts of three of the college students who participated in our annual program, Katari: Keeping Japanese American Stories Alive. Now in its fifth year, Katari is aimed at giving college students some of the tools they’ll need to be able to help others learn about the unjust incarceration of Japanese/Japanese American during World War II.

In this video, Charlene Tonai Din, Kyle Tsujimoto, and Yua Watanabe, each from the Nikkei Student Union at UCLA (UCLA NSU), shared their experiences.

A native of Oakland, California, Charlene Tonai Din, 19, serves as the UCLA NSU Cultural Awareness and Community Service (CACS) Co-Chair. She is in her second year as an Environmental Science major, concentrating in environmental systems and society, minoring in Asian American Studies. She also serves on the 2022 Manzanar At Dusk Organizing Committee, and is one of the recipients of the 2022 Arnold Maeda Manzana Pilgrimage Grant from the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument Committee.

20-year old Kyle Tsujmoto hails from Cupertino, California, and is in his second year at UCLA, where he is studying Physiological Sciences. He currently serves as the Sports Coordinator for UCLA NSU.

In her second year at UCLA, Yua Watanabe, is studying Theater, with an emphasis in Design and Production. The 19-year old native of Hermosa Beach, California currently serves as UCLA NSU’s Co-CACS Chair, and on the 2022 Manzanar At Dusk Organizing Committee.

The views expressed in this video are those of the individuals featured in it, and are not necessarily those of the Manzanar Committee.

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