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Beyond the Divide: Japanese American Responses to the “Loyalty Questionnaire”
“The government is asking… a father and a son who have different situations, the same question, and on the basis of your answer your family might be broken up.” —…
Meet Allen Say – Talented Children’s Book Author
Our friends at the Elliott Bay Book Company here in Seattle tell us that Allen Say, a Caldecott Medal winner for the children’s book Grandfather’s Journey, will speak at the…
The Story to the North
Densho is located a few hours from the Canadian border. Hapa speed skater Apolo Ohno is a local hero. So, with the winter Olympics about to descend on Vancouver, British…
KABC news story about Rescue of the Lost Battalion
KABC in Los Angeles did an excellent TV news story about the 65th anniversary reunion of the men who were at the rescue of the Lost Battalion. The 442nd Regimental…
International Lives: The Horiuchi Interviews
“The Nikkei I knew that were involved in the occupation…they were able to work more closely with the Japanese because the Japanese looked upon them as someone that could understand…
Closed Captioning on Densho’s YouTube Channel
Google recently announced new technologies to make Closed Captioning easier on YouTube. The YouTube video player has been able to display Closed Captions for some time but only for those…
Camp Harmony – Author Event
Densho is hosting a book event on December 3 at the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District neighborhood. Join us for a talk at 6:30pm by Louis Fiset…
Oral History Workshop – Not How, But Why
Last Saturday, Densho executive director Tom Ikeda, with communications director Patricia Kiyono, led an oral history workshop for 15 participants. Unlike how-to trainings, Tom designed this workshop to examine the…
Microsoft Alumni Foundation Gala
For the last two days I have been involved in a flurry of activities around the Microsoft Alumni Foundation’s Integral Fellows award. Although I did not win, I was honored…
Tom Ikeda Nominated for Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellows Award
Densho’s executive director, Tom Ikeda, is honored to be selected as a finalist for the first Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellows Award. Over 150 Microsoft alumni have started and run…
Profile in Courage: George Sakato and a Belated Medal of Honor
“I’m no hero, but I wear it for the guys that didn’t come back.” — George “Joe” Sakato George T. Sakato is the great-great-great-grandson of a samurai. Perhaps that explains…
Incarceration and Reservations: Japanese and Native Americans Intersect
“This country has had a history of forced evacuation and detention of non-white Americans.” –Bernie Whitebear, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation Politically oppressed people of color share storylines in…
Auction to Help Densho
For a non-profit, raising money is always challenging. One of the fun things we do is to have a silent auction at our annual Sushi & Sake Fest on Nov…
Restoring a Lapsed Asian American Initiative
Yesterday at a White House ceremony, President Barack Obama signed an executive order re-establishing an advisory commission “to improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through…
The Value of Freedom
We’ve been wondering what Roxana Saberi has been doing since her release from prison in Iran, where she was falsely charged with espionage. This Salt Lake City news article (photo…
Embargoed Interview: Ehren Watada
This month we announced the addition of what could be a controversial interview to the Densho Digital Archive. In our October eNews, you can preview a video clip of Densho’s…
Frank Sumida Interview in LA
A couple of weeks ago I was in LA and through an introduction from Barbara Takei of the Tule Lake Committee, did a fascinating interview with Frank Sumida. Frank shared…
Freshly Minted Videos – Watch on YouTube
For our latest teacher resource CD (available on request) we produced short videos to illustrate key points of Japanese American history. Teachers have been asking us for a summary video…
Frances Tashiro Kaji Interview in LA
Last week I was in Los Angeles and had the opportunity to do a video recorded interview with Frances Tashiro Kaji. Writer Martha Nakagawa helped arrange the meeting and assisted…
Side Trip to Fort Snelling
Returning from a short trip to Minneapolis last weekend, I spotted a sign for Fort Snelling on the way to the airport. The fort is perched above the picturesque confluence…
Help Preserve Minidoka and Heart Mountain
The Friends of Minidoka, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, and Conservation Fund ask supporters to urge their U.S. senators to vote for legislation that will fund the acquisition of lands for…
Words Do Matter: Join the Discussion
Anyone who writes about what happened to 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII immediately enters a debate about terminology, whether they know it or not. “Internment” is the most common designation….
All About the Women
Densho is dedicating resources to record interviews with Nikkei women, whose stories are often less documented in oral history collections. This month Densho staff travels to L.A. to conduct new…
Happy Birthday, Monica Sone
Today is the 90th birthday of Monica Sone, author of Nisei Daughter. Written in 1953, hers was among the first books published about experiencing the forced removal and detention during…