Photo Credit: Sam Mihara, NEH Jefferson Lecturer, in front of a Heart Mountain barracks at the Japanese American National Museum. Photo by Rainer Hosch for the National Endowment for the Humanities
Supporting the humanities is not just an investment in preserving the past but a commitment to shaping a better future. The humanities teach us to think deeply about ethics, culture, and the human condition. They help us navigate complex societal challenges, from questions of identity and inclusion to debates about policy and justice. With the humanities, we can improve our understanding of each other and address the root causes of division.
Donor support to Wyoming Humanities allows us to sponsor statewide speaking tours and discussion groups that explore stories and ideas that shape us.
Last year, Wyoming Humanities sponsored such a tour featuring Sam Mihara.
Sam, who is now in his nineties, was a childhood prisoner during WWII at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center near Powell, Wyoming. Heart Mountain was one of ten U.S. camps that held 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry. Sam has made it his life goal to keep alive the memory. “The most important lesson learned is how this gross injustice relates to today’s issues involving other racial or religious groups,” he told me in an email.
Speaking in Laramie, Casper, Buffalo, Glenrock, Douglas, Cheyenne, Sheridan, and at a standing-room-only library room in Gilette, Mihara discussed the erosion of civil liberties fed by fear and prejudice. Through a photographic chronology, including the works of Dorthea Lange, he told stories of the emotional, economic, and social harm of breaking apart families and forced removal. He uses his Heart Mountain experience as a moral and historical reconning.
An excerpt from Mihara’s book, Blindsided: The Life and Times of Sam Mihara, is included in the Wyoming Humanities publication Democracy Under Construction. He wrote: “I have forgiven America for what it did for my family, but I refuse to let it forget. Because we decide to distance ourselves from a part of our past, it is too easy to repeat the mistakes that took us down a dangerous path before. Registries. Detention centers. Racism. Religions segregation. They still exist here in the United States, and their victims still suffer.”
The National Endowment for the Humanities has recently awarded Mihara one of the most prestigious acknowledgments of efforts in the humanities, the Jefferson Lecture, named in honor of Thomas Jefferson.
The Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, established by the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1972, is the highest honor conferred for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities. The annual lecture recognizes an individual who has made significant scholarly contributions and who can communicate the knowledge and wisdom of the humanities in a broadly appealing way.
Mihara will deliver his lecture “Memories of Injustice” at 6 p.m. PST on January 15, 2025, in Los Angeles, hosted at the Japanese American National Museum and the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be streamed online at neh.gov.
Mihara’s story is a compelling reason to invest in the humanities, not only to safeguard our history but also to cultivate a society grounded in empathy, understanding, and shared humanity. Mihara reminds us that history is not merely a collection of dates and events, but a tapestry woven from the lived experiences of real people. Recognizing these stories is essential for ensuring we do not repeat past mistakes.
By supporting the humanities, we honor voices like Mihara’s and ensure their lessons echo for generations.