OC School Administrator Shares Grandmother's Story In Honor Of API Month
YORBA LINDA (CBSLA.com) — In the spirit of Asian-Pacific Islander (API) American Heritage Month, an Orange County man is sharing his family's triumph over a dark chapter in American history, the internment of Japanese Americans.
More than 100,000 Americans of Japanese descent on the West Coast were placed in camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Michael Matsuda, the new superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District, has a personal connection to the story.
Matsuda's mother, Ruth, was rounded up and interned during that time.
She attended Anaheim High School, but was never able to graduate.
Decades later, Ruth Matsuda did receive her high school diploma.
Michael Matsuda oversees the fourth-largest school district in Orange County.
When voted into the post, Matsuda says he feels like it closes a circle in his family's story.