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The Rise and Threats of Digital Erasure in Public Memory
Over the last week, the U.S. Army quietly removed and republished its webpage on the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), the famed all-Japanese American unit that became one of the…
Teaching Civic Education Through Japanese American History
Civic education isn’t just about the past — it’s about understanding how history shapes our present and future. The incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII provides a critical lens for…
Photo Essay: Activating Our History on the Day of Remembrance
Earlier this month, we joined the Puyallup Valley JACL for a Day of Remembrance at the site of the former Puyallup Assembly Center on the Washington State Fairgrounds. This event…
The Day of Remembrance Is a Critical Act of Collective Memory
We reflect today on the signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, which led to the forced removal and incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans. As we honor the memory…
Educator Spotlight: Courtney Wai
Courtney Wai began her career as a middle school English Language Arts teacher in the Rio Grande Valley and later taught English as a Second Language in San Antonio ISD….
Remembering Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
Densho mourns the loss of Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, a key figure in sharing the story of the wartime incarceration in the 1970s.
Nisei Notables Who Would Have Turned 100 in 2025
Continuing what has become an annual tradition as well as one of our favorite pieces to put together, here are some notable Nisei who would have turned one hundred years…
A Tulare Memorial Project Sheds New Light on a Little Known WWII Incarceration Site
Dr. Koji Lau-Ozawa is a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA and archaeologist studying the Japanese diaspora and intersections of Asian American and Indigenous histories. Much of his research focuses on the…
Food Sharing as a Method of Community Building in the Japanese American Courier
Newspapers have played an important role in informing societies of current affairs and influencing public opinion for centuries, as a primary form of communication and a main source of information…
Reclaiming Japanese American Culture and Language after Decades of Erasure
Last month, Densho was invited to participate in Tsuru for Solidarity’s multi-day event Kintsugi 2024—a first-of-its-kind gathering for Japanese Americans focused on intergenerational trauma and repair. Densho Staff Writer and…
Resources for Critical Conversations about the History that Brought Us Here
In light of the election results, Densho is more determined than ever to continue our historical and educational work in pursuit of equal justice for all. As we come out…
The National Archives Is Whitewashing “Ugly” Histories Like Japanese American Incarceration
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is probably not a household name for most Americans. This federal agency oversees billions of documents, from the Declaration of Independence to electronic…
Archive Horror Stories
Fire, pests, and mold, oh my! These are the horror stories that keep our Densho archivists up at night. We’re wrapping up Archives Month with some of the most horrifying…
The Alien Enemies Act Paved the Way for Japanese American Incarceration. Let’s Keep It in the Past.
At a rally in Aurora, Colorado last week, former president and 2024 Republican nominee Donald Trump made a disturbing promise to round up and deport millions of immigrants if elected….
Ask a Historian: Where Can I Find…
At Densho, we field a lot of questions about where to find various resources related to the Japanese American incarceration online. While some things can be found via your favorite…
Protecting Archival Materials from Fires, Floods and Other Disasters
After helping our neighbors at the Seattle Betsuin salvage archival materials damaged in a fire, Densho Archivist Micah Merryman took steps to level up Densho’s disaster preparedness and protect the…
A Healing Journey to Tule Lake — and the Hidden Family History Uncovered Along the Way
Densho staff were honored to attend last month’s Tule Lake Pilgrimage, joining nearly 400 fellow pilgrims in returning to this important WWII incarceration site to remember its history and reflect…
Remembering the Lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Earlier this month, we gathered at Seattle’s Green Lake for a solemn and deeply meaningful commemoration of the events of August 6 and 9, 1945, when the cities of Hiroshima…
Ask a Historian: Could Japanese Americans Drive Themselves to Camp?
Oliver Wang, curator of the Japanese American National Museum’s summer 2025 exhibit, Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community, which looks at how car and truck culture have…
The World of Mary Mon Toy, the Broadway Actress Who Hid Her Japanese Identity Behind a Chinese Name
Actress and performer Mary Mon Toy is best known for her breakout role as Minnie Ho in the original Broadway production of The World of Suzie Wong — which led…
The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration: Unlocking the Voices of Issei and Kibei Nisei Writers
In this guest post, Frank Abe introduces a selection from the new anthology, The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration, which he co-edited with Floyd Cheung. The book was published this…
Photo Essay: Amache Through the Lens of George Ochikubo
Amache was the smallest of the ten concentration camps the US Government constructed to detain Japanese Americans during WWII. Yet with a peak population of more than 7,000, the prison…
Intern Spotlight: Kathryn Perry Bolin on How Archives Can Be a Platform for Social Justice Work
Kathryn Perry Bolin is a graduate student at the University of Washington pursuing a Master’s in Information and Library Science (MLIS), and recently completed an internship with Densho’s archives team….
Naomi Ostwald Kawamura: Building Community and Connection that Transcends Borders
In early March, I had the opportunity to be part of the 2024 Japanese American Leadership Delegation (JALD), a program jointly supported by the US-Japan Council and Japan’s Ministry of…