Meet Karlene, a Yonsei originally from Winnipeg who now lives in Toronto, by way of Montreal, Tokyo and London (UK). She grew up volunteering and dancing odori at the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba, instilling in her a strong belief in the importance of community and human rights activism.
As an archival assistant with Nikkei Place, she helps record and digitize important memories from the community’s past, in hopes of preserving our culture for future generations. Previously, she aided the Landscapes of Injustice Project in digitizing thousands of federal files documenting the WWII Internment and dispossession. She is grateful to be able to remotely connect with Japanese Canadian youth across Canada, and the inspiring team at Nikkei Place.