February 3, 2021
This year we mark the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 with a full week of action and remembrance. Join us each day between February 14th and 21st as we dig deeper into the past and find new ways to take action towards justice and equity today. We’ll be sharing these actions on our social media pages so be sure to follow along @DenshoProject!
We’ll post links and additional details on this page soon, but in the meantime, here’s an overview of the Week of Action and Remembrance (and a few events you can register for now):
Sunday, 2/14
Embrace: Show Japanese American history orgs some love!
Learn about organizations that, like Densho, are working to preserve Japanese American history and map out your DOR schedule of events for the week ahead.
Follow, tag, and share Japanese American history orgs on social media. Check out this list of the orgs we love, and shout out your own faves!
- 50 Objects
- Fred T Korematsu Institute
- Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation
- JA Memorial Pilgrimages
- Japanese American Museum of San Jose
- Japanese American National Museum
- Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii
- Ko Archives
- Manzanar Committee
- Minidoka Pilgrimage
- Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre
- Nisei Veterans Committee Foundation
- Nisei Veterans Legacy (Hawaii)
- Tessaku
Browse the Japanese American Citizens League’s 2021 DOR Community Events calendar and pick at least one event to attend this week.
Monday, 2/15
Learn: Discover and share resources for the classroom
Find ways to integrate Japanese American incarceration history into your classroom and home learning routines.
Parents of younger children: Read a Japanese American history book with your kids, or choose an activity to do together from Tsuru for Solidarity’s Families and Kids resources. Here are some book recommendations from Densho Content Director Brian Niiya to get you started:
- Eight Essential Japanese American History Books for Young Readers
- The Fred Korematsu Story for Young Readers
- Densho Media Resource Guide
Parents of older children: Dive into some recent and classic Young Adult books about the WWII incarceration, or talk to your kids’ teachers about Densho’s educator resources.
No kids? Help the educators and parents in your life discover Japanese American incarceration history resources.
And for anyone and everyone who wants to continue their own learning: Read some highlights from the Densho Blog, watch our “core story” of Japanese American incarceration history, or listen to Campu!
- Campu podcast + education hub
- Japanese American WWII Incarceration: The Core Story
- Blog highlights:
- Student Views of Life in a Japanese American Concentration Camp
- It’s Time to Retire WWII-Era Euphemisms for Japanese American Incarceration
- Sold, Damaged, Stolen, Gone: Japanese American Property Loss during WWII
- Photo Essay: Exclusion Order No. 1, Bainbridge Island
- Japanese American Incarceration on Indigenous Lands
Tuesday, 2/16
Bridge: Build deeper understanding and connection through community
Join Densho for a conversation about the ongoing legacy of WWII incarceration or participate in a discussion as part of the Black + Japanese American Reparations series.
Watch the documentary “Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066” on your own, then join Densho Executive Director and civil rights attorney Dale Minami for a community discussion on the lessons of the WWII incarceration—and why they still matter today—at 1pm PDT. Register to save your spot and get streaming access to the film.
Join the USC Ito Center’s Black + Japanese American Reparations Book Club at 4pm PST to discuss Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent. Learn more about the #BJAreparations series and register.
Wednesday, 2/17
Dig Deeper: Explore Densho resources to learn more about your history
Discover new ways to navigate Densho’s archives, encyclopedia, and other online offerings in order to deepen your understanding of Japanese American history.
Dig into your family history: Find records about your family’s incarceration experience in the Names Registry, or search the Densho Digital Repository for photos, letters, and other documents that can help illustrate your history.
Don’t have a family connection to WWII incarceration history? Browse the Densho Encyclopedia or check out some recent highlights from Densho’s family collections.
Do you know someone whose story should be shared? Learn how to nominate them as a Densho narrator.
Thursday, 2/18
Connect: Understand how Japanese American WWII Incarceration is Part of Broader Systems of Oppression
Participate in a teach-in about the history of racism and xenophobia in the United States, or watch a panel discussion relating Japanese American incarceration to contemporary injustices.
Join Densho Executive Director Tom Ikeda for “Racism, Resilience, and Resistance: Executive Order 9066 in 2021” from 12-1:30pm PDT. This panel discussion hosted by the Seattle College District will explore the community impact of Japanese American imprisonment during World War II, its echoes today, and contemporary anti-xenophobic activism. Learn more and register.
Densho is hosting a virtual teach-in on the history of xenophobia and racism in the US — and how we can deepen our commitment to action today. Registration for this event filled almost as soon as it was announced, but we’ll be hosting more in the future. Sign up here to be notified of future teach-ins and other Densho educational opportunities.
Friday, 2/19
Remember: Observe the anniversary of EO9066
Mark the official Day of Remembrance through reflection, sharing, and honoring the lives of those incarcerated during WWII.
Share a photo, remembrance, or reflection of loved ones who survived the incarceration, or why you think it’s important to know this history, on social media.
Attend a Day of Remembrance event that feels meaningful to you.
Saturday & Sunday, 2/20-21
Take Action: Let this history inform your solidarity with other targeted groups
Continue to reflect and remember as you move into action in solidarity with other targeted groups. Attend a (socially distanced) rally, participate in a virtual event, and reaffirm your own commitment to social justice.
Take part in a Tsuru for Solidarity or Day of Remembrance event.
Join Tsuru for Solidarity, La Resistencia, the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee, Seattle JACL, and Puyallup Valley JACL for a car caravan from the Puyallup Fairgrounds to Northwest Detention Center, February 21st starting at 1:00pm. In 1978, Seattle organizers held the first Day of Remembrance in the country, leading a caravan from Seattle to the Puyallup Fairgrounds, where 7,400 Japanese Americans were imprisoned in 1942. Join us as we return to Puyallup to remember the past, then take the caravan to Tacoma to demand freedom and justice for immigrants imprisoned at NWDC today. Register to join the caravan: bit.ly/SeattleTsuruDOR
Write a short reflection on what you learned this week. Was there a new aspect of this history that you learned, or something that struck you and inspired new thinking? How does it motivate you to act in solidarity now?
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Funding for Densho’s Week of Action and Remembrance came, in part, from the office of King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski.