The Stall That Became Her Classroom

A two-year-old girl sleeps in a horse stable at a California racetrack, her family assigned there by the government. What does it do to a life when the first place you are told you do not belong is home itself?

The Stall That Became Her Classroom

This episode explores the early life of Evelyn Seiko Nakano, who, as a child, was forcibly relocated with her family during World War II. It delves into the profound impact of being displaced from one's home and how those experiences shaped her future as a renowned scholar.

Person: Evelyn Seiko Nakano Date: Summer 1942 Location: Turlock, California Event: Japanese American incarceration

- In 1942, two-year-old Evelyn Seiko Nakano was relocated with her family to a horse stable at a California racetrack. - Her parents, Makoto Nakano and Haruye Ito, were Nisei (second-generation Japanese American), and Evelyn was Sansei (third generation). - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced relocation of people of Japanese ancestry from the Pacific Coast. - The Nakano family was moved from Turlock to Gila River in the Arizona desert, and then to Heart Mountain, Wyoming, before Evelyn turned five. - After their release in 1945, the family moved to Chicago, as there was no home to return to in California.

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