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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…
Homecoming for Heroes: Veterans Gala in Houston
The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation asks Densho to spread the word about the “Homecoming for Heroes” gala on November 1. The event honors Nisei and Texan veterans whose lives…
Summer Days
On a warm August afternoon, in the time-honored tradition of the summer rerun, we thought we’d share some of our favorite “From the Archive” articles that are available on our…
Tragedy and Lessons: Listen Online
Twitter told us about an excellent lecture by law professor Eric Muller called “The Constitution in Wartime: The Tragedy and the Lessons of the Japanese American Internment of World War…
Justice Watch
Judges are in the news. On the same day, we read that U.S. Federal Judge Robert Takasugi has passed away and learn that President Obama–on the heels of Sonya Sotomayor’s…
Floating Lanterns and Folded Cranes
Today, August 6, the world remembers the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. On the north shore of Green Lake in Seattle, volunteers hold the commemorative ceremony “From Hiroshima to Hope,” a…
Call for Interviewees
Late Friday afternoon we received good news. Densho’s application to the national Japanese American Confinement Sites grant program was awarded in the amount of $112,500. The money will pay for…
Book Event: “Japanese American Resettlement through the Lens”
When Asian American studies scholars visit Seattle, we sometimes invite them to speak in public programs. This Saturday at the Densho building, we will host a author talk by Lane…
Los Angeles Interviews, Tom
Last week I had the joy and honor of interviewing three Nisei women who were talented, strong, and committed individuals. For three days we set up a temporary video studio…
Powerful Storytelling
I came across an interview with Leslie Ishii, a Sansei actor seen on TV in the series Lost and Desperate Housewives, and soon to be seen in the movie Fame….
Hero on the 4th of July
Over the 4th of July holiday, I remembered a news item from the last days of June. Seattle’s historic federal courthouse was rededicated after a three-year renovation. In 2001 the…
Exhibition of Note
An art show we wish we could see in Seattle is a retrospective of work by Densho’s friend Roger Shimomura, master of skewering racist stereotypes. The Return of the Yellow…
Interviews in Minneapolis by Tom
The Twin Cities Chapter of the JACL welcomed us last week with a Monday potluck dinner. This was a fun evening of eating homemade Japanese food, talking with the Chapter…
Minneapolis interviews
Tom, Dana, and I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul. The 10 interviews we conducted offered great insight into this significant, though lesser-known, community in the Midwest….
And now…Minnesota
The Densho interview team is on the move again. This week they headed for the Midwest to collect life stories of Nisei who chose to make Minnesota their home after…
Beginning our Summer Interview Trips
We’ve started our summer interview trips which means I will be on the road more than I am in the office. Last week a Densho team (Dana Hoshide, Megan Asaka,…
Nisei Students Help Others
We’re pleased to share a positive news story today. Teresa Watanabe’s June 6 article in the Los Angeles Times serves as antidote to sad reports of college students having to…
Nikkei of the Future
The question of racial, cultural, and generational identity has been a constant at Densho. The makeup of our staff over the years has consisted of Sansei and Yonsei from Seattle’s…