"I was six months old at the time that I was taken, with my mother and father, from Sacramento, California, and placed in internment camps in the United States"

In this quote, Robert Matsui is reflecting on a substantial event from his past. He points out being just 6 months old when he, in addition to his moms and dads, was forcibly gotten rid of from their home in Sacramento, California. This was during a time when the United States federal government had actually established internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. Matsui's family was among the thousands of Japanese Americans who were unjustly targeted and required to leave their homes and organizations behind. This experience of being uprooted and placed in internment camps had a profound influence on Matsui's life and formed his point of view on problems of discrimination and civil liberties.