Marion Masada survived incarceration

For The Madera Tribune

Marion Masada talks with students in Valerie Shelton’s Historical Literacy class at MSHS.

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Marion Masada, an American citizen of Japanese descent, is a survivor of the Poston “relocation camp” in Arizona. Recently, at the age of 90 she visited Valerie Shelton’s historical literacy class at Madera South High School to tell of her incarceration experiences.

Marion was living in Salinas with her parents and siblings at the time President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. She was incarcerated with her family at Poston from the age of nine to 12.

While she was in Poston, she was treated abominably, including molestation. The living conditions were deplorable. After Poston, she returned with her family to California, and lived in San Jose with a Caucasian family to do housekeeping for them because her family was poor. While there she started going to a Christian church and eventually met her husband who was a preacher. He had been incarcerated in Jerome, Arkansas.