Episode 22-10: An interview with Hanako Wakatsuki, JHU Museum Studies Program alumna and Superintendent of Honouliuli National Historic Site.
Listen to the Episode
One of our nation’s newest National Historic Sites, the site of Honouliuli, will interpret the history of civilian incarceration and the experience of prisoners of war in Hawaii during World War II — an important and often glossed over part of America’s past. To use the words of the National Park Service, it “will be a place to reflect on wartime experiences and recommit ourselves to the pursuit of freedom and justice.”
Join me as I chat with Hanako Wakatsuki, Superintendent of Honouliuli National Historic Site, about the importance of interpreting complicated histories. And how understanding the historical context and trajectory of events in our nation’s past can help us in the present and the future. She shares with us how her own family’s history is intertwined with the powerful stories she shares regarding the lived experience of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Hanako is an alumna of Johns Hopkins University’s Museum Studies program. She has over 14 years of experience in museums and public history. She has worked for Minidoka National Historic Site, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum, Tule Lake National Monument, and the Idaho State Historical Society.
Hanako received her BA in History and BS in Political Science from Boise State University and her MA in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She is passionate about visitor services, making cultural institutions accessible to the community, and bridging the gap between academia and the public.
Resources
To learn more about the resources mentioned in the podcast, see the links below:
- Farewell to Manzanar, by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
- Vincent Chin
