Community Stories

Seattle’s diverse communities up close

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About Community Stories

Seattle is mosaic of cultures and diverse communities, with an endless supply of inspiring tales to share. Community Stories presents this rich tapestry -- the people, the neighborhoods, the communities, relevant issues, cultural traditions and rich histories that make each of us unique. Learn more about your neighbors on Community Stories.

To submit story input and for further information about Community Stories, please contact: Ian Devier, Community Stories Senior Producer, ian.devier@seattle.gov

Community Stories: Those Who Helped Us
Community Stories: Those Who Helped Us
12/12/202218:34

Basketball-loving Sumiko Tanaka, then 11, narrates this graphic novel about the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. Through her eyes, we watch as her family is forced from their home and subjected to indiscriminate racism as they are shipped off to the concentration camp called Minidoka in Idaho. But Sumiko and her 17-year-old sister Yuri also see acts of charity and solidarity from their non-Japanese neighbors and friends in the Seattle area that make them hopeful for the future. As the young girls struggle with the horrors of being imprisoned in the dusty desert, they also find solace in the fact that some people chose to help. This story highlights the actual actions and experiences of those neighbors and friends.

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