Back in September 2017, we heard from four Japanese-Americans who were interned during WWII. One of these speakers was Reiko Nagumo, who was raised in Hollywood, CA and later relocated to Heart Mountain Internment Camp in Wyoming.
On Dec. 8, 1941, Reiko and her best friend, Mary Frances, were both in the third grade in Hollywood when Mary Frances’s mom said they could no longer play because Reiko was Japanese. In spite of this, the girls continued to be best friends and when Reiko returned from her internment in Heart Mountain, Wyoming, Mary Frances was the first to hug her on her first day back at school. Reiko lost track of Mary Frances and has told everyone that she has been searching for her friend for 70 plus years.
Eventually, someone heard of Reiko’s long search to find her friend and amazingly, Mary Frances was found in Virginia! Hear Reiko’s story and see her heartwarming reunion with Mary Frances on the series “We’ll Meet Again” on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. on PBS (channel 6 in the Sacramento Area).
