Harumi Serata
Harumi Serata was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. In February 1942, Serata’s father was arrested by the FBI and separated from her family, who had no knowledge of his whereabouts. Meanwhile, Serata and the rest of her family were evicted and imprisoned at Puyallup Temporary WCCA “Assembly Center”, where her father eventually joined them. From Puyallup, Serata and her family were sent to Minidoka WRA Concentration Camp. Although Serata’s family was relatively wealthy before the war, they were forced to face financial hardship upon their return home. During the redress movement, only two members of the family were alive to receive the reparations payment. Today, Serata speaks with students from first grade through college about her incarceration experience. In this interview, she explains the importance of continuing to educate others on the history, as well as the relevance and impact of the redress movement.
