1888: The How, The Why

Sam Mihara is a second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) born and raised in San Francisco. When World War II broke out, the United States government forced Sam, age 9, and his family to move to the Heart Mountain, Wyoming camp. After the war ended, the family returned home to San Francisco.Sam attended UC Berkeley undergraduate and UCLA graduate schools, where he earned engineering degrees. He became a rocket scientist and joined the Boeing Company where he became an executive on space programs. Following retirement, Sam changed careers and is now a regular visiting lecturer at the University of California and is a national speaker on the topic of mass imprisonment in the U.S. He has visited many federal prisons including those for undocumented immigrants. Sam helped in the preservation of the Heart Mountain historic prison site in Northwest Wyoming and is now a board member of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, the non-profit organization that oversees the National Historic Landmark site.Sam speaks to