‘A Bitter Legacy’ to Be Screened in Oceanside

OCEANSIDE — “A Bitter Legacy,” an award-winning documentary by Claudia Katayanagi, will be shown on Thursday, April 6, at 6 p.m. at the Little Theater (OC3601), Mira Costa College, 1 Bernard Dr. in Oceanside.

Claudia Katayanagi

The Japanese American incarceration camps are a widely known shame. Less known is that some camps were secret prisons to isolate U.S. citizen “troublemakers” from other prisoners. This film looks at those “citizen isolation centers,” now considered to be precursors to Guantanamo, and examines the similarities to issues facing us today, regarding racism, immigration restrictions and the denigration of entire peoples based on their race, religion and ethnic background.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the filmmaker and a reception.

“A Bitter Legacy” was screened on March 25 in Leupp, Ariz., site of one of the camps featured in the film. Upcoming screenings include the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Fest in San Jose on April 30 and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California in San Francisco on May 21.

The College Library is also presenting an exhibition, “Uncommon Ground: Behind the Barbed Wire,” which examines the myriad facets of the Japanese American camp experience, through April 28. Hours: Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition, former incarcerees will tell their stories on Thursday, April 27, from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. at the Student Center, Building 900, San Elijo Campus, 3333 Manchester Ave. in Cardiff.

For more information, visit http://library.miracosta.edu/9066.

For campus maps, go to www.miracosta.edu/officeofthepresident/pio/downloads/map_oc.pdf for Oceanside Campus and www.miracosta.edu/officeofthepresident/pio/downloads/map_san.pdf for San Elijo Campus.

For more information on the film or to book a screening at your school or organization, visit www.abitterlegacy.com.