Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Watch GFBNEC's premiere online episode of its new series, Sharing Stories Around the Table, which examines the significance and influence of the Japanese American WWII veterans’ story from an intergenerational and multi-ethnic perspective.
This first episode, “I Feel with My Heart,” centers on the unique life story of Fernando Sosa Masuda, a Japanese-Mexican American WWII veteran who served in the segregated Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Hear his detailed post-war recollection of growing up in East L.A., discovering his Japanese ethnicity and trying to fit in while his Japanese American unit buddies were trying to figure him out.
Host Maya Hernandez, a Japanese-Mexican American who grew up in all corners of the U.S. and in Japan, and who was also a part of the 2018 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Program Court, is joined by special guest Mia Lopez, a Japanese-Mexican American from Southern California and a First Princess on the 2019 Nisei Week Court. GFBNEC President and CEO Mitch Maki will join in the conversation as Maya and Mia delve into the shared experiences of bi-cultural identity within their own Japanese and Mexican American families.
Check GFBNEC’s other videos and visit goforbroke.org for more information about its educational programming and ways to support the legacy of the Japanese American WWII veterans.
Images and video provided courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection, Library of Congress, National Archives & Records Administration, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army Signal Corps, Jason Kusagaya, David Ono, Pat Rothrock, Mike Terashita and the GFBNEC Collection.
Production by Janice Tanaka and Sreescanda
Video Special Effects by Travis Hatfield
Watch GFBNEC's premiere online episode of its new series, Sharing Stories Around the Table, which examines the significance and influence of the Japanese American WWII veterans’ story from an intergenerational and multi-ethnic perspective.
This first episode, “I Feel with My Heart,” centers on the unique life story of Fernando Sosa Masuda, a Japanese-Mexican American WWII veteran who served in the segregated Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Hear his detailed post-war recollection of growing up in East L.A., discovering his Japanese ethnicity and trying to fit in while his Japanese American unit buddies were trying to figure him out.
Host Maya Hernandez, a Japanese-Mexican American who grew up in all corners of the U.S. and in Japan, and who was also a part of the 2018 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Program Court, is joined by special guest Mia Lopez, a Japanese-Mexican American from Southern California and a First Princess on the 2019 Nisei Week Court. GFBNEC President and CEO Mitch Maki will join in the conversation as Maya and Mia delve into the shared experiences of bi-cultural identity within their own Japanese and Mexican American families.
Check GFBNEC’s other videos and visit goforbroke.org for more information about its educational programming and ways to support the legacy of the Japanese American WWII veterans.
Images and video provided courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection, Library of Congress, National Archives & Records Administration, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army Signal Corps, Jason Kusagaya, David Ono, Pat Rothrock, Mike Terashita and the GFBNEC Collection.
Production by Janice Tanaka and Sreescanda
Video Special Effects by Travis Hatfield
