Abstract:

"The Tanforan Race Track was the site of an assembly center in 1942, where thousands of Japanese Americans lived for as long as six months while the more permanent WWII concentration camps were being built inland. This is the first in-depth study of an assembly center and the beginnings of new cultural and social systems, which were developed then transferred to the permanent camps. Interviews with ex-internees tell compelling stories of the hardships and losses they endured during this period. Rare film footage, photographs and artwork are also featured."