S6E15: Echoes of Internment: Filmmaker Claudia Katayanagi on History, Justice, and Resistance

Join me as I sit down with Claudia Katayanagi, an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work brings hidden histories to light. As a fourth-generation Japanese American, Claudia's personal and professional journey led her to uncover the dark realities of World War II’s "Citizen Isolation Centers," a topic explored in her powerful documentary A Bitter Legacy.

In our conversation, we dive deep into the intersection of past and present injustices, examining how the forced internment of Japanese Americans echoes in today’s mass deportation threats, immigrant detentions, and violations of civil rights. We discuss the Enemy Aliens Act of 1798, used as a justification during WWII and again today by the current administration. Claudia’s work, including her latest film, Exile - Community in Conflict, confronts these historical parallels head-on. She shares her firsthand experiences documenting protests at detention centers across the country, from Texas to California, and the urgent need for truth-telling in the face of rising xenophobia.

We also discuss the power of art and storytelling as acts of resistance—how the men and women imprisoned during WWII used paintings, poetry, and prayer to sustain their spirits, and how those lessons resonate in today’s fights for justice. With history repeating itself in disturbing ways, Claudia’s activism through Tsuru for Solidarity reminds us that silence is not an option.

This episode will challenge you. It will inform you. And it will push you to take action. Tune in, learn the truth, and—most importantly—use your voice. Protest. Organize. Vote. Because the fight for justice never ends. SHOW NOTES