Betrayed: Surviving an American Concentration Camp tells the story of a group of Americans and their mass incarceration by the U.S. government in the high desert of southern Idaho, purely on the basis of race. In the compelling voices of survivors of the camp, Betrayed explores the unconstitutional suspension of the civil rights of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest and the intergenerational impact of the incarceration on their community. The film explores the relevance of this story today, as we see camp survivors stepping up as modern-day activists to fight the present-day incarceration of children and families. We were honored to interview and speak with over 40 camp survivors and descendants in order to help tell their story.

The presentation that follows looks at the history, stories, families, and legacies of Japanese American imprisonment during WWII. Bainbridge Island was the first community in the nation where Japanese Americans were collectively and forcibly removed to inland concentration camps. BIJAC members and legacy family members will examine Executive Order 9066 through national and local lenses, and share what made the island’s experience distinct from anywhere else.

Executive Order 9066 (EO9066) authorized the removal of all persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast in 1942.