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Heart Mountain press releases provide updates on upcoming events, new exhibits, and news from the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation and Interpretive Center; for high-resolution archival and contemporary images, visit the Media Kit or contact info@heartmountain.org, and for news from the Japanese American Confinement Sites Consortium (JACSC), click here—recent and past press releases are available below.
November 10, 2026
Japanese immigrants to the United States and Latin America were victimized by government policies before and during World War II, leaving thousands stateless and uncertain about their futures, two authors said Monday during a panel hosted by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation (HMWF) and the Japanese Embassy in Washington. Evelyn Iritani is the author of Safe […]
November 4, 2026
Susan Kamei, award-winning author and leader of a series of educator workshops, will lead “From Japantown to Motown to Hometown: The Japanese American Experience” in Michigan, a discussion about the history of the Japanese American incarceration during World War II at 6 p.m., Friday, November 13, at the Ann Arbor District Library. Kamei will be […]
October 27, 2026
Shigeru “Shig” Yabu, author of two books about the Japanese American incarceration at Heart Mountain, received a lifetime achievement award last Saturday after a screening of an animated film adapted from his book Hello Maggie! Yabu, 94, received the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation’s Douglas W. Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of service on the […]
October 26, 2026
Dr. Takashi Hoshizaki, a board member of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation and noted scientist, received the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays, in a ceremony Friday, October 23, at the Japanese American National Museum’s Democracy Center in Los Angeles. Kosei Murota, the Japanese consul general in Los Angeles, presented the award to […]
October 17, 2026
Dr. Takashi Hoshizaki, who resisted the military draft while incarcerated at Heart Mountain before becoming an expert in circadian rhythms for the space program, will receive the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays in a conferment ceremony from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., Friday, October 23. The ceremony is open to the public and […]
October 14, 2026
Shirley Ann Higuchi and Douglas Nelson, chair and vice chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, have been named to a commission to create a history hall in the District of Columbia courts. The DC Courts History Hall Commission was created by Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigbsy, chief judge of the District of Columbia Court of […]
October 3, 2026
A discussion about the history of Japanese immigrants to the United States and a workshop for Montana teachers kicked off the traveling series of events September 25 and 26 sponsored by the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education program of the National Park Service. The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation partnered for the events with […]
September 22, 2026
Twenty educators from Missoula-area schools will attend the first traveling workshop conducted by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation (HMWF) and its partners at the University of Montana on Saturday, September 26. Conducted at the University Center, the workshop will introduce teachers to the Japanese American incarceration during World War II, which included the detention of […]
September 16, 2026
The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation (HMWF) has received two National Park Service grants that will support projects to honor the sacrifices of Japanese American soldiers, support educational work with 10 partners and restore its historic hospital complex. A $987,737 grant from the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education (JACE) program will support Patriotism Under Fire: Expanding the […]
September 14, 2026
Paul Richter, author of the new book The Distance Between Our Names: The Untold History of America’s War on Japanese Immigrants, will present a dialogue on the Japanese immigrant experience at 5:30 p.m., Friday, September 25 at the UC Center at the University of Montana. Land of Gold and Heartbreak: The Struggles of Japanese Immigrants in the […]
September 4, 2026
Two groups of Japanese university students and educators will participate in a weeklong program at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center and the Mineta-Simpson Institute the week of September 7-12. Supported by a $158,622 grant from the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, the Educators in Exchange: Bridging US-Japan Education on Japanese American Incarceration program will host a delegation of seven students and […]
August 31, 2026
“A Wyoming Legacy,” an exhibit dedicated to the life of Curtis Ando and his family’s connections to Heart Mountain and the local Powell community has opened at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center. Mackenzie Legler, this year’s Curtis Ando intern, curated the exhibit after a summer spent conducting extensive research, interviews and archival collection. She met […]
