February 3, 2016

[Update, March 14, 2016: Due to the overwhelming popularity of our first Digital Teach-In, we’ve scheduled a second one to be held May 1-6, 2016. Sign up here and please help spread the word.]

February 19, 2016 marks the 74th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, FDR’s wartime measure that resulted in the incarceration of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry.

We call February 19 a Day of Remembrance, but how can anyone be expected to remember a history they never learned in the first place? It’s not uncommon to meet Americans who have never heard of this dark chapter in their own nation’s history. To this day, history classes often skirt past the subject. Even those of us whose families were directly impacted often have gaps in our knowledge of World War II incarceration.

This year, Densho decided to take action. We’re hosting our first-ever Digital Teach-In in hopes of deepening public understanding of the Japanese American past and why it still matters today.

Sign up for the Teach-In and we’ll deliver five lessons straight to your email inbox in the days leading up to this year’s Day of Remembrance. The engaging, multimedia lessons will cover the basics of Japanese American history from early Japanese migration to mass removal and life in World War II concentration camps to the Redress Movement and relevance to current events.

The Teach-In is geared toward adult learners, but anyone is welcome to participate. Each lesson should take fewer than ten minutes. Sign up for free and you’ll be automatically entered to win books and a specialty Densho tote bag. We’ll select new winners on each day of the Teach-In.

Please help us spread the word: Invite your friends, family, and colleagues; post this link to your social networks. Once the challenge gets going, stay in touch with other participants on social media through the hashtag #DenshoTeachIn. To recap:

What: Densho Digital Teach-In
When: February 15-19, 2016
Where: Anywhere you can access internet
Cost: Free
Sign Up: Here