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Her grandfather in a concentration camp in Fusagasuga (Spanish)

(Spanish) When World War II erupted, I imagine, the United States government decided that some citizens needed to be controlled. Germans, Italians, and Japanese in Colombia, heads of households, mainly, were taken to a concentration center in Fusagasugá, in Cundinamarca. They were held there while their families stayed on the land where they lived.

My grandpa had to leave my grandma living on the farm and when that happened, my grandma wrote a letter in Japanese to my grandpa, where she said she had to go... She left out certain things, so he wouldn't worry, so they would let him out to visit them.

Then she wrote letters in Spanish, so the men guarding my grandfather would know. She wrote things like “Little Lily is very sick, we don't know what to do, please try to help us.” Then they let my grandpa out for 15 days to visit my grandma, to make sure the situation went back to normal. Then they sent him back to the concentration camp.

They had some freedoms, but obviously they were under constant police supervision.


Colombia World War II World War II camps

Date: September 22, 2019

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Yoko Nishimura

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Monica Teisher was born in Cali, Colombia in 1974 to an Issei father and Nisei mother. She and her large extended family were active in the Cali Japanese community, the largest in Colombia. She moved to the United States after marrying a U.S. citizen of Eastern European Jewish descent. They and their daughters spend vacation time in Colombia, participating in community events. (May 2020)

Naka,John
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Naka,John

Avoiding the Japanese military

(1914-2004) Nisei Bonsai master in the United States

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Hirabayashi,Gordon
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Hirabayashi,Gordon

A Dutiful Son

(1918-2012) Fought the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066.

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Kim,Young O.
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Kim,Young O.

Resisting transfer from Jerome

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

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Kim,Young O.
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Kim,Young O.

A visit to Jerome after OCS

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

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Hohri,William
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Hohri,William

Going to camp with the Terminal Island people

(1927-2010) Political Activist

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Hohri,William
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Hohri,William

Interned at age fifteen, I saw camp as an adventure

(1927-2010) Political Activist

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Murakami,Jimmy
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Murakami,Jimmy

Paintings reflecting on camp

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

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Schneider,Harry
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Schneider,Harry

Reception of Hamako by family

(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service

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Janzen,Terry
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Janzen,Terry

Memories of Poston

(b. 1930) Half Japanese and grew up in both Japan and the United States.

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Janzen,Terry
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Janzen,Terry

Arriving at Poston

(b. 1930) Half Japanese and grew up in both Japan and the United States.

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Westdale,Virgil
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Westdale,Virgil

522nd and Dachau

(1918-2022) Hapa World War II veteran, pilot

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Westdale,Virgil
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Westdale,Virgil

Fellow Hapa 442 Hana

(1918-2022) Hapa World War II veteran, pilot

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Ochi,Rose
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Ochi,Rose

“A Low Tolerance For Injustice…”

(1938-2020) Japanese American attorney and civil rights activist

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Murakami,Jimmy
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Murakami,Jimmy

Leaving Tule Lake

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

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Biller,Francesca Yukari
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Biller,Francesca Yukari

Writing a novel on the 442nd

Jewish Japanese American journalist

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