How does grace survive in the face of deep injustice? Jennifer Sakata explores Japanese American Incarceration during World War II and the unexpected grace that emerged from unimaginable loss, displacement, and trauma.
Japanese American Incarceration through Executive Order 9066
February 19, 1942 marked the signing of Executive Order 9066, which led to the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of them American citizens. Jennifer reflects on this historic injustice through personal stories from her husband’s family and family friend Mr. Ted Nagata, who was incarcerated at the Topaz War Relocation Center. Their stories illuminate not only what was taken, but what endured: dignity, faith, and grace.
Japanese Incarceration and Unexpected Grace
This episode sheds light on the lived realities of Japanese American families–from confiscated homes and businesses to life behind barbed wire–while also honoring the humility, courage, and forgiveness shown by those who suffered profound injustice. Jennifer shares how discovering this history later in life reshaped her understanding of grace, remembrance, and reconciliation.
In honor of Japanese American Remembrance Day, this episode invites listeners to remember, lament, and learn–and to consider how unexpected grace still speaks into today’s conversations about trauma, justice, and healing.
Jennifer closes with a prayer inspired by Psalm 139 and a call to extend grace, protect civil liberties, and choose love over bitterness.
💬 Grace Quotes from Jennifer Sakata:
“Behind these facts stand the lives of people whose families, livelihoods, and futures were completely and sometimes irreparably upended.”
“Many people offered pardon in place of finger-pointing. Because grace always takes a different path.”
“Grace compels us to extend forgiveness beyond our ability to give it.”
Japanese American Incarceration Resources:
- Burn Order podcast by Rachel Maddow
- Interview with Mr. Ted Nagata, courtesy of Densho Digital Repository
- A Place Where Sunflowers Grow by Amy Lee Tai (children’s picture book)
- Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki (children’s picture book)
- Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata (for middle schoolers and early highschoolers)
- Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston
- Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment ed. by Linda Gordon & Gary Okihiro
- When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
- Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese American Internment Experience ed. by Lawson Fusao Inada
Related Episodes:
Ep. 36 Don’t Hoard Your Healing with Nancy Manassero
Ep. 27 Unexpected Grace & the Impact of Executive Order 9066
Ep. 10 Scars of Grace: Embracing Our Woundedness for Wholeness with Russell Joyce
Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata:
🎁 My FREE gift to you: Prayers That Change Us
📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates
⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!