Florence Dobashi
Florence Dobashi was born in Los Angeles, California, but moved to Chula Vista at a young age. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dobashi’s father was arrested by the FBI and interned at various Department of Justice internment camps or Army facilities. Soon after, Dobashi and her family were forcibly moved to Poston WRA Concentration Camp, where they eventually reunited with her father. From Poston, Dobashi left to attend high school in Ohio, and then moved back to California where she attended UCLA. After graduation, Dobashi worked for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Dobashi later worked for Attorney Wayne Collins as a secretary; at the time, Collins was handling cases of Japanese Americans who renounced their citizenship during the incarceration. Dobashi explains what working on these cases was like, from helping to interview clients and write affidavits to Collins’ generosity in representing people who could not pay.
