Merienda Talk: ‘An irreparable damage’ – WWII & the Transnational Japanese Internment Program

✨Free Event✨

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Selfa A. Chew (University of Texas at El Paso | History, African-American Studies, Women’s & Gender Studies) as we discuss the transnational Japanese internment program that took place during World War II and its impact on the Borderlands region. The informal talk will examine the factors that led to internment, how the project operated, and the repercussions of the program locally and nationally. Between 1942 and 1945, the United States government removed approximately 120,000 people of Japanese descent from their homes and incarcerated them in isolated camps throughout the United States. The vast majority of those incarcerated were American citizens but Colonel Karl Bendetsen, who designed the program, declared that any individual with “one drop of Japanese blood” qualified for incarceration. The camps were situated in isolated locations throughout the West, Midwest, and South, including some on Indigenous reservations despite protests by the tribal councils. The program enjoyed popular support among the American public. This talk is a part of our “El Paso’s Homegrown: World War II” exhibit, which closes August 28, 2022. The exhibit showcases El Paso’s role in WWII both at home and abroad. ... Merienda Talks are a free ongoing series at the El Paso Museum of History that explore current exhibits through informal conversation with experts. In Mexico, “merienda” is a time to share conversation with friends over a bite to eat. In the spirit of merienda, our talks bring the public and professionals together to discover exhibits through discussion