A Japanese-American in Small Town WY: Episode 15

Listen to the episode here. You can also subscribe by searching for Wyoming My 307 wherever you listen to podcasts. Look for many more photos, and information, on the Wyoming My 307 Instagram feed! 

Wyoming’s treasures include turtles who can breathe underwater, a small town that moved across the river, and history makers such as Grant Ujifusa. He went from being a star on the high school football team to editor of a prestigious political best-seller. Grant convinced President Reagan to issue redress and an apology to Japanese Americans for their incarceration in WWII. Grant’s accomplishments have resulted in recognition not only in the Worland Warrior Hall of Fame, but in receiving the Order of the Rising Sun award from the Emperor of Japan! This episode shares one complex story of growing up Japanese in Wyoming, and the personal impact of that experience.  

Worland

• Worland aquatic center has it all! 

• Washakie Museum and Cultural Center

• Gooseberry Badlands just outside of town 

• Another excellent place to go for a walk is the Duck Swamp Interpretive Area

Wyoming Wildlife - Spiny Softshell Turtle

• Four turtle species in Wyoming

• Spiny Softshell Turtle

• More information here, and unfortunately information on their current decline

Grant Ujifusa

• Grant’s family and background in WY 

• Information on Grant’s family on display at the Heart Mountain WWII Japanese American Confinement Site

• Mary Ujifusa’s obituary as it appeared in the Casper Star Tribune (Mary was Grant’s mother)

• Grant mentions a tribute speech he made to his Worland teachers. 

• Casper Star Tribune article about Grant’s work with the Japanese American Citizens League to pass the Japanese American redress bill was passed in 1988

• Grant mentions Senator Sparky Matsunaga who was key in the passage of the Japanese Redress Act 

• A CUNY interview of Grant Ujifusa

• Grant’s acceptance speech for the Order of the Rising Sun award from the Emperor of Japan

• The Vanity Fair article mentioned by Grant, about “Wyoming culture”

• Interesting information on Japanese language for goodbye: Sayonara (bye maybe forever), versus Ja ne, see you again!