Hello, welcome to Planet Classroom.

I am Orb.

Join me as your virtual guide on a journey of global learning called Planet Classroom.

You will hear stories from artists, musicians, dancers, technologists, game makers, film makers,

innovators and creators of all kinds from around the world.

It's time to engage or imagine nations, share our ideas and explore solutions for a brighter

future for all.

Our planet is a classroom where learning together brings us together.

In the late 19th century, thousands of Japanese immigrants from a feudal island arrived on

these shores to help clear the forest, harvest the seas and develop the wealth of a young

country.

What they met was white hostility.

Human rights, peace, tolerance and intercultural understanding are the themes of today's

show.

We will be discussing three films that focus on these important topics.

The first film up is Swimming Upstream, an eye-opening story that documents the discrimination

faced by Japanese Canadians and their struggle for justice from the British Columbia government.

The film is directed by Mary-ka Amatsu.

Gone was Vancouver's Japan town, the geographical heart of the community where the pulse was

felt, where more than 8,000 people lived, worked and played.

Fifty-nine language schools in the province were closed.

Education was disrupted.

...