SANTA MONICA —?The Santa Monica Conservatory will present “Santa Monica Mosaic: Nisei Memories,” a virtual lecture, on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 5 p.m.

The speaker is Dr. Dennis Ogawa, a professor of Japanese American studies at the University of Hawaii, who was born at the Manzanar War Relocation Center in the Owens Valley and grew up in Santa Monica.

Ogawa will tell of his father’s determination to return his family to the city after more than three years of incarceration, no matter what the challenges might be. Learn of the Ogawas’ struggles — and fond memories, too — as they sought to assimilate back into Santa Monica life amid a postwar housing shortage and lingering mistrust by their fellow Americans.

Preceding Ogawa’s presentation will be an illustrated historic overview of the Japanese American community in Santa Monica by Mosaic’s moderator and historian, Libby Motika. Learn about the first Japanese immigrants in the early 1900s who established a thriving fishing village in Santa Monica Canyon, their expansion into other areas of local commerce, community pride and sociability, as evidenced by the mid-century Nikkei Hall, which still stands in the Pico District.

Register for “Santa Monica Mosaic: Nisei Memories” here: https://smc.givecloud.co/2021mosaic1

The fully illustrated lecture and following Q&A session will take place via Zoom. The program is $10 for the public and free for members. All proceeds support the Santa Monica Conservancy, a nonprofit organization committed to historic preservation. Join today and receive complimentary admission to the lecture.

Website: https://www.smconservancy.org/event/santa-monica-mosaic-nisei-memories/

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