May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month) – an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islander descent to the United States. The theme for AAPI Heritage Month 2022 is “Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration.”

In recognition of AAPI Heritage Month, the Huntington Beach Central Library is pleased to welcome guest speaker and author Sam Mihara on Monday, May 23 at 6:30 pm. In 1942, Mr. Mihara was nine years old living in San Francisco. The government decided to remove all people of Japanese ancestry and place them into desolate prison camps. He was one of 120,000 Japanese Americans who was forced by armed military soldiers to move. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed “Executive Order 9066” on February 19, 1942, which authorized the military to remove Japanese Americans from their homes and move them to prison camps.

Today, Mr. Mihara is a national lecturer on the topic of Mass Imprisonment. He speaks at schools, colleges, libraries, government offices and conferences. In the last 10 years, he has given talks to over 65,000 students, teachers and the general public. Join us in the C-D room of the Central Library for a slide show of famed photographer Dorothea Lange’s photos combined with the personal memories of Mr. Mihara, as he shares his family’s first-hand experience in the Japanese-American Imprisonment Camps during World War II. Registration is required for this in-person event. Please follow this link https://hbpl.libcal.com/event/9081945 to sign up. The library is located at 7111 Talbert Avenue, at Goldenwest Street.