JANM’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, William T Fujioka, dives into the story of JANM’s Landmarks of American History and Culture workshops and the Museum’s vow to #ScrubNothing in reference to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Since 1985 JANM has been promoting understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. In April, JANM received a stark message from the National Endowment for the Humanities: “Due to a change in the Administration’s funding priorities, DOGE has made the decision to terminate NEH awards.”
Gone was $170,000 for JANM’s Landmarks of American History and Culture workshops. Gone was the opportunity to bring educators from throughout the United States to JANM, Little Tokyo, and the Manzanar concentration camp so they in turn could bring the lessons of Japanese American history into their classrooms. When JANM sounded the call for aid to save this program, you answered. When JANM lit the beacons to help educators carry these essential stories back to their students, you rode out into your communities to raise the funds.
Thanks to you, JANM raised $275,000 that not only support this summer’s Landmarks program and educator stipends but also support next summer’s workshops. An anonymous donor pledged $85,000 for the Landmarks workshops, which will cover the Museum’s costs to bring seventy-two teachers from twenty-eight states to Los Angeles to experience the program. Many generous donors pledged $5 to $50,000 to support teacher travel stipends and provide continuous support for the program.
The weeklong workshops will bring teachers from across the United States to JANM, Little Tokyo, and Manzanar National Historic Site to experience Japanese American history, hear from former incarcerees, and most importantly, bring those stories and lessons back to their classrooms. Over the past two years, JANM’s Landmarks workshops included more than one hundred teachers in thirty-one states, who in turn reached approximately 21,000 students.
But, there’s still more work that needs to be done.
Despite some of the most significant federal cuts to arts and humanities funding in contemporary history, we are unwavering in our mission—to tell the full story of the Japanese American community, both its struggles and triumphs. While many organizations have scrubbed their websites of references to diversity, equity, and inclusion, JANM vows to scrub nothing.
JANM is proud to be among the first institutions standing firmly and unapologetically in defense of truth and justice. In doing so, we proudly stand true to our mission and honor the legacy of generations who came before us.
Now, we’re asking you to stand up with us as we take a strong and vocal stance against these efforts to erase history, dismantle diversity, and criminalize vulnerable communities.
So skip that spring cleaning and #ScrubNothing with us! Read the latest JANM news, give a gift today to help us tell the full story of our community and check out the exciting Scrub Nothing merch from the JANM Store.
Each year on or around February 19, Japanese American communities and allies across the US commemorate the Day of Remembrance(DOR). On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which directed the US military to uproot 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast and incarcerate them without due process in America’s concentration camps during World War II. Each year, DOR programs around the country highlight the lessons of incarceration to ensure that the American public understands the consequences of failed leadership and injustice when those lessons are disregarded.
As JANM renovates its Pavilion, the Museum is bringing its programs to the people in communities throughout California, across the US, and in Japan with JANM on the Go. This year, JANM was a part of DOR programs in Los Angeles; Washington, DC; and Omaha, Nebraska.
Los Angeles DOR
On February 15, 2025, JANM partnered with the Los Angeles DOR Committee to host this year’s commemoration with the theme, A Legacy of Courage: Nikkei Women Persevering Through Incarceration and Beyond, at the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. The program celebrated Nikkei women’s stories, their determination to rebuild and thrive after World War II, and their contributions to community and culture.
Concentration camp survivors and descendants carry banners representing ten concentration camps, Tuna Canyon temporary detention center, Crystal City Department of Justice internment camp, and the 100th/442nd/MIS. Photo by Evan Kodani.
The Los Angeles DOR Committee is a coalition of organizations that includes Go For Broke National Education Center, Japanese American Citizens League—Pacific Southwest District, Japanese American National Museum, Little Tokyo Service Center, Manzanar Committee, Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress, Nikkei Progressives, and Organization of Chinese Americans–Greater Los Angeles.
The program opened with Girl Scouts, concentration camp survivors, and descendants carrying banners representing ten concentration camps, Tuna Canyon temporary detention center, Crystal City Department of Justice internment camp, and the 100th/442nd/MIS.
“Each year we’re reminded of the need to honor the enduring legacies and stories of those who experienced America’s concentration camps during World War II,” said Matthew Weisbly of the Japanese American Citizens League.
“In the camp roll call we honor those of Japanese ancestry who were impacted by Executive Order 9066 and forcibly removed from the West Coast and taken to one of ten War Relocation Authority concentration camps or thirty Department of Justice and INS camps,” said Elizabeth Morikawa of JANM.
Dr. Kelsey Iino moderates A Legacy of Courage: Nikkei Women Persevering Through Incarceration and Beyond with Sarah Omura, Yesenia Cardenas, Nobuko Miyamoto, Karen Magaña, and traci kato-kiriyama. Photo by Evan Kodani.
The roll call was followed by a moving and multigenerational panel discussion moderated by Dr. Kelsey Iino with Yesenia Cardenas, a paralegal in the Air Force National Guard; traci kato-kiriyama, poet and multi-and transdisciplinary artist; Karen Magaña, UCLA PhD candidate in Education with a focus on the family separation and reunification experiences of Central American immigrant students; Nobuko Miyamoto, songwriter, dancer, and theater artist; and Sarah Omura, a senior at Whitney High School who is active in the Japanese American community. Together they talked about the generational impact of unjust incarceration and parallels between Japanese American and Japanese Latin Americans’ experiences and that of today’s immigrant communities.
“I really saw camp from the view of my mother who had stories, who had anger, and felt so helpless, but she also wanted to protect me. I’m a songwriter and I want to present stories through video and music. They want to erase us from here but we’re still here. We have become storytellers. We have become poets. We have become filmmakers. We have written books to tell and keep these stories alive. We bring people together like this every year. It’s very important what we’re doing now,” said Miyamoto.
“What strikes me the most is the ongoing legacy of state violence against immigrant families, how the US government has repeatedly justified forced separation, displacement, and incarceration in the name of national security. The Kudo family was forcibly removed from their home in Peru, incarcerated in a US concentration camp, and stripped of their legal rights. Unfortunately, that story is not just a historical tragedy. It is a pattern that continues today. Immigrant families are experiencing the same state-sanctioned violence in the form of deportations, incarceration, and family separations,” said Magaña.
Washington, DC DOR
On February 18, 2025, JANM and the The Irei Project commemorated DOR in Washington, DC by launching the national tour of The Ireichō and partnering with the Japanese American Citizens League, JACL-DC Chapter, National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, National Archives Foundation, and the National Museum of American History for the panel discussion, The Ireichō: Day of Remembrance, at the US Navy Memorial, directly across the street from the National Archives, which houses the original Executive Order 9066.
“Side by side, these two artifacts tell a story of loss and resilience of exclusion and remembrance. One represents the machinery of state-sanctioned injustice, and the other the power of a community that refuses to let its history be erased,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM President and CEO. “Today, as we launch the national tour of the Ireichō, we reaffirm our responsibility to ensure that remembrance is not passive but that it’s an active force for justice and that it’s an active force for the social good.”
The Ireichō: Day of Remembrance was moderated by Dr. Anthea M. Hartig, the Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and featured Burroughs, Duncan Ryuken Williams, the director and founder of The Irei Project, and Shirley Ann Higuchi, the chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation.
Dr. Anthea M. Hartig moderates The Ireichō: Day of Remembrance with Duncan Williams, Shirley Ann Higuchi, and Ann Burroughs during the 2025 Day of Remembrance in Washington, DC. The poster of Bob Matsumoto’s iconic work, Remembrance, is on the right. Photo by Jenn Vu.
“It’s not just about consoling the spirits of those who’ve passed on but it’s about the spirits of those who remain and that idea has been at the heart of what we’ve been doing at The Irei Project,” said Williams.
“The reason why this project is so important is because for us—the descendants and current survivors—it gives us the opportunity to step into the shoes of our parents and grandparents and say that we are here. We were here, and we matter, and that’s why this research is so important,” said Higuchi.
“[The Ireichō] challenges us to think about what we choose to commemorate, who we choose to honor, and whose names we refuse to forget. In so doing we’re challenged to take responsibility for ensuring that history is told fully and truthfully, and that its lessons endure,” said Burroughs.
Visitors also got the opportunity to stamp the book at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History from February 19–21, 2025. Now the Ireichō is traveling on a national tour with stops in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawai’i, Idaho, Illinois, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming through July 2026. At the close of the tour in August 2026, The Irei Project will gift the Ireichō to JANM, where it will remain as part of the Museum’s permanent collection and a lasting monument to the formidable strength of the Japanese American community.
“The book will touch the ground of those incarceration sites but it will not return as a relic but as a living Monument, as an act of repair not only for individuals and families but for the nation itself,” said Burroughs. “Each name stamped is an answer to the questions: What do we carry forward? What do we refuse to forget? What is our obligation to history? Because in the end, monuments are not just about the past they’re about the future we choose to shape.”
After the event, Burroughs gave posters of artist Bob Matsumoto’s iconic work, Remembrance, to Hartig, Williams, and Higuchi on behalf of Matsumoto. An advertising art director and a Manzanar survivor, Matsumoto created this image to honor those who were incarcerated in the ten concentration camps after the signing of Executive Order 9066. His advertising work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and his artwork was recently accessioned into the Smithsonian.
Omaha DOR
On February 19, 2025, JANM’s Director of Collections Management & Access and Curator, Kristen Hayashi, spoke at the DOR event co-hosted by the Omaha chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League and Creighton University in conjunction with the exhibition All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art 1840 – 1955 at the Joslyn Art Museum.
Kristen Hayashi gives her presentation, Art as Agency through the Henry Sugimoto Collection, at the Day of Remembrance event in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Kristen Hayashi.
JANM lent Henry Sugimoto’s painting, When Can We Go Home?, for the exhibition as a way to talk about the role that the railroad played in the forced removal and mass incarceration of Japanese Americans and their families during World War II. Created in 1943, the painting depicts Sugimoto’s wife, Susie Tagawa Sugimoto, and their daughter on their first day at the Fresno temporary detention center in Fresno, California. Its title stems from the question that his daughter asked that same day after what she believed was a picnic lunch. Hayashi gave a presentation about World War II incarceration through the lens of Sugimoto’s work.
“I learned so much about this rich Japanese American history in Nebraska. It was this wonderful coincidence that this exhibition, which included this Henry Sugimoto artwork, was in Omaha. It was an opportunity to share Henry Sugimoto’s life and career as well as the Japanese American community through his artwork. I think he would be really pleased to know that his artwork continues to educate people about the incarceration experience and the experience of Japanese immigrants,” she said.
Henry Sugimoto, When Can We Go Home?, 1943, oil on canvas, 33.5 × 24.25 in. Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, 92.97.3
JANM is excited to release its new podcast, Japanese America, today. Coinciding with the annual Day of Remembrance, the Museum’s new podcast explores unique experiences, challenges, and triumphs of Japanese Americans and illuminates their contributions to the mosaic of American life.
From historical milestones to contemporary perspectives, cohosts Michelle MaliZaki and Koji Sakai will take listeners on an insightful journey through JANM’s collection that showcases a diverse community that shapes the American story in extraordinary ways.
In the first episode, learn how Yuri Kochiyama’s concentration camp experiences transformed her into a civil rights icon. Listen and subscribe at your favorite podcast app!
On January 26, 2024, JANM ushered in a new era for its campus by naming its plaza after the late JANM Board of Trustees Chair and Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and hosting the namesake distinguished lecture at the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (Democracy Center). On Friday afternoon, guests gathered at the Museum to witness the unveiling of the new sign as the sun began to set behind the buildings of Little Tokyo and downtown LA. The Norman Y. Mineta Democracy Plaza connects the Museum’s Pavilion, Historic Building, and Democracy Center together. It’s a place that creates a sense of transparency and access between all buildings on campus and is a reminder that democracy is shaped through the involvement and engagement of individuals.
“We all feel Norm’s presence here. This is hallowed ground, a place where American families were taken to concentration camps,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM President and CEO. She described how Mineta used his imprisonment experiences at the Santa Anita temporary detention center (about fifteen miles away from the Museum) and the Heart Mountain concentration camp in Wyoming to lead the US in Congress and the White House. “Few better understand that this union could be more perfect than Norm and few worked as hard to make it so.”
“Norm lived his life for the democracy of his country,” said Deni Mineta, widow of the late Secretary. “It is important for the community at large to understand these lessons and pass them on. I see memories, love, and compassion, and I am so grateful that you’re here.”
Mayor Karen Bass described her mother’s experience of seeing her classmates’ empty chairs when she was going to school in Los Angeles and emphasized the importance of acknowledging the darker periods of US history to create a more inclusive democracy. “This is our shared history of folks of color,” she said. LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis added, “He’s a beacon of hope for us, and a reminder for why we’ve been fighting for all voices around the world.”
The newly named plaza brings Mineta’s values and vision for democracy to new generations and reflects the evolution of the Japanese American community. His extraordinary legacy, lifelong commitment to democracy, and profound impact on the Museum was also recognized with the inaugural Norman Y. Mineta Distinguished Lecture Friday evening. The lecture is a signature series of the Democracy Center focusing on Mineta’s leadership values and principles, including his commitment to public service, social justice, and strengthening US-Japan relations.
Mitch Landrieu, former senior advisor to the President and former mayor of New Orleans, was the special guest speaker. From 2010–2018 he served as the 61st Mayor while New Orleans was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and in the midst of the BP oil spill. Similar to Mineta, Landrieu’s father, Moon, championed integration while serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives, as mayor of New Orleans, and as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Jimmy Carter. Throughout Moon’s time in office, the Landrieus and Minetas became friends. Like them, Landrieu also dedicated his life to public service. His speech and subsequent conversation with Mineta’s son and JANM Board of Governors member David Mineta discussed their fathers’ friendship, the power of the vote, and why it is important to fight for democracy every day.
“Our fight today starts by reclaiming our democracy and continuing to uplift our ideals in this country. We cannot allow our history to be erased. We cannot shrug our shoulders at the past,” said Landrieu. “When so much has pulled us apart, we must work together to answer the question: Who are we? This is a time for us to come together as patriots. Every generation in America has faced a moment where they had to defend democracy. This is ours. Do not close your eyes to what is happening around you. Do not think for a moment that the fight for democracy is over there. It’s happening right here.”
We are excited to share that JANM is currently accepting applications for Little Tokyo: How History Shapes a Community Across Generations. These are week-long workshops for K–12 educators that are funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities as one of their Landmarks of American History and Culture educator workshops that focus on sites of historic and cultural significance. We are honored to be among the fourteen sites conducting Landmarks workshops in 2024.
This program will examine history through the neighborhood of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, California. The week-long workshop will be offered twice: June 24–28 and July 15–19, 2024.
During the course of the workshop, participants will be joined by scholars, educators, curators, and community historians to learn about this unique place and how it has evolved through history. This program will examine how Little Tokyo has been impacted by events and issues such as restrictive covenants, eminent domain, the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans, the civil rights movement, and gentrification. With a focus on Japanese American history, we will consider the past’s relevance to present day issues of identity and preservation. A day trip to Manzanar National Historic Site will also be included.
A panel of survivors of America’s concentration camps speak about their experiences.
We invite teachers from across the country to apply to the program. Join us in Los Angeles for an in-depth look at the Japanese American experience through the special neighborhood of Little Tokyo.
Each participant will receive a $1,300 stipend after completing the workshop. This stipend is intended to help compensate participants for their time commitment and to defray the costs of participation in the workshop which may include expenses such as travel, housing, and meals.
All application materials must be submitted no later than March 5, 2024. For more information, including how to apply visit janm.org/education/workshops/2024/neh
Participants at a summer 2022 workshop on a walking tour of Little Tokyo.
On September 12, 2023, the Japanese American National Museum (JANM), Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS), and other Little Tokyo partners celebrated the upcoming 100th anniversary of JANM’s Historic Building with a new plaque and street signs marking the building’s significance and its City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument designation.
JANM’s Director of Collections Management and Access and Curator, Kristen Hayashi, welcomed the group and introduced Michael Okamura, president of the Little Tokyo Historical Society, who spoke about the LTHS’s efforts to raise the visibility of historic sites throughout Little Tokyo, including the Koyasan Buddhist Temple, the Kame Restaurant, the Finale Club, Sei Fujii and J. Marion Wright Memorial Lantern, Toyo Miyatake Way, Reverend Howard Toriumi Plaza, and the Aoyama Tree.
“You could tell that throughout Little Tokyo these are significant. We honor these legacy people who were before us and it’s very important. When you walk throughout Little Tokyo please take a moment and absorb all these people and the naming sites,” said Okamura.
Rev. William Briones of Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple then spoke about how the site played an important role in the spiritual and social life of the community.
“It was a place of spiritual refuge, community, a playground for the children, a place to grieve for their loved ones, and to find joy in the joining of two people. And who could forget the iconic picture that Archie Miyatake took? The backdrop of one of the assembly points from which local Issei and Nisei were sent to the camp. Today we are truly honored for this recognition and even though a lot of people don’t know the history of this, there are so many fond and wonderful memories of this temple. Thank you for this recognition,” said Briones. Afterward, both of them unveiled the new signs on 1st Street that now mark the historic site.
The Historic Building was designed by local architect Edgar Cline and built in 1925 as the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist temple. In 1985, the newly incorporated JANM signed a fifty-year lease with the City of Los Angeles to renovate the temple and convert it into a museum. The renovation was conceived by a consortium of eight Japanese American architects: Marcia Chiono, David Kikuchi, Shigeru Masumoto, Yoshio Nishimoto, Frank Sata, Takashi Shida, George Shinmo, and Robert Uyeda. In 1986 it was designated as City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument 313. In 1992 JANM opened its doors to the public with 23,800 square feet of space for exhibitions, collections, and public programs.
“JANM’s Historic Building is our oldest and largest artifact on our campus. It is hallowed ground, a site of conscience, and a gathering place for civic engagement and social justice. The plaque and street signs not only commemorate the Historic Building’s history in the Japanese American community but also expands the public’s understanding of its significance to the history of Los Angeles and the US. Commemorating the building’s history ensures that past injustices will never be repeated and that diverse voices will be heard now and into the future,” said Ann Burroughs, President and CEO of JANM.
Principal City Planner and Manager for the City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources, Ken Bernstein, praised the new plaque and street signs for raising the visibility of the historic site in Little Tokyo.
“Our historic buildings anchor us in an ever changing city. They really provide a meaningful connection to our collective memory—that bridge between past, present, and future. Thanks to you, the historic designation and enhanced visibility through the street sign and the plaque will continue to allow the Little Tokyo community to connect to its rich heritage and really use that rich heritage as a way of continuing to promote the vitality of the Little Tokyo community.”
Actor, activist, JANM Trustee, and Board Chair Emeritus, George Takei, joined Burroughs and Bernstein to unveil the bronze plaque, now installed at the building’s historic entrance.
Hayashi closed the ceremony by noting the significance of the ceremony and the power of place that JANM’s Historic Building has on its own and in relation to JANM’s Pavilion.
“These places matter to us and our community and we want people to know about its significance; that’s why we have this ceremony today. We could’ve just mounted the plaque but instead we really wanted people to know that it’s here. Several people have pointed out that there are several generations of people here today to witness this moment and it’s so fitting because as you turn around and you look towards JANM’s Pavilion, the architects of the Pavilion really wanted us to reflect on our past. Our past is what guides our present and future. It’s symbolic of who’s represented here. We have several generations here to carry on the legacy of those who have come before us in Little Tokyo.”
A special surprise performance by the children of Nishi Daycare charmed the audience of fifty who gathered in the plaza for the celebration.
Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps. Photo by Paloma Dooley.
What was it like to grow up behind barbed wire? JANM’s exhibition, Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps, explores the experiences of Japanese American youth confronting the injustice of being imprisoned in World War II concentration camps while embarking on the universal journey of adolescence. Preteens, teenagers, and young adults danced with one another, listened to jazz and big band music, and formed musical groups of their own that performed regularly in camp.
Swing dance, which developed alongside jazz music, was started by African American dancers at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York. Musicians such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, and Chick Webb all performed at the ballroom. The ballroom’s anti-discrimination policy created a unique environment for diversity and creativity. The Savoy Ballroom and swing dancing was also featured at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. From there, swing dance and music spread across the country throughout the 1930s, including in Los Angeles.
Swing dancing was so popular among youth that a group of young dancers interrupted Los Angeles City Hall council members to invite them to a swing dance contest at the Gilmore Stadium on September 11, 1938. The following year, the Palomar Ballroom hosted the Jitterbug Championships and the finalists (from twenty states and six countries) danced for cash prizes to live music from the Artie Shaw and Ken Baker Orchestras in front of thousands of people at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as part of the International Jitterbug Championships on June 18, 1939.
The final dance at the Jerome concentration camp before it closed in 1944. Photo taken by Francis Leroy Stewart on June 14, 1944, National Archives and Records Administration.
One of the farewell dances at the Jerome concentration camp before it closed in 1944. Photo taken by Francis Leroy Stewart on June 14, 1944, National Archives and Records Administration.
Henry Ushijima, a sound engineer in Hollywood, plays dance records at a dance given by the Girl’s Recreation Committee in the Manzanar concentration camp. Photo taken by Francis Leroy Stewart on May 29, 1942, National Archives and Records Administration.
During World War II, young Nisei like George Yoshida who enjoyed big band music continued to do so when they were forcibly removed from their homes. According to his book, Reminiscing in Swingtime, incarcerees created big bands such as the Densoneers or D-Elevens, Down Beats, Jive Bombers, Jivesters, Music Makers, Pomonans, Poston Camp #2 Band, Rhythm Kings, Rhythmaires, Savoy Four, Stardusters, and Starlight Serenaders in the temporary detention centers and concentration camps.
Nisei like sisters Yuri Long and Sumiko Hughes were a part of social clubs that would also participate in swing dancing. Long and Hughes, who are both featured in the Don’t Fence Me In audio tour on Bloomberg Connects, talked about how much they enjoyed swing dancing as part of their social club, Just Us Girls (the JUGs), in the Manzanar concentration camp. The JUGs were made up of the youngest girls, followed by the Forget-Me-Nots and the Moderneers.
“They call us wild because at the dances, the JUGs were always very popular, and the guys would come and ask them to dance. And they jitterbug. They were on the dance floor all the time. And some of the other club girls were sort of off on the side. They didn’t get asked as much. And they didn’t jitterbug. And they used to jitterbug wild. They would throw them under their legs,” recalled Hughes.
Yuri Long
Sumi Hughes
Bob Wada
JANM’s digital guide on Bloomberg Connects
Bob Wada, who was also featured in the Don’t Fence Me In audio tour, recalled knowing where all of the dances were at the Poston incarceration camp because the blocks within camp kept a running log.
“A lot of the blocks had their own dances. So we had our own. They weren’t, like, out of control dances, they were good. People didn’t crash dances. Our block had a dance and they invited a few friends that would come. That’s about the only thing we did socially,” he said.
Some incarcerees even had their own musical equipment made in camp. Two Nisei, one of which may have been Sadaichi Tanioka, made a turntable for Henry Nomura so that he could play music for his own enjoyment and for others in the firebreaks and at block dances at the Manzanar concentration camp.
Henry Nomura’s turntable. Photo by Paloma Dooley.
Dance bids from Karen Nagao that were collected by her mother-in-law, Ruth (née Higa) Nagao. Photo by Paloma Dooley.
Handmade dance bids—paper booklets featuring an illustration of the event on the cover—were popular, complete with blank lines for dance partners to sign their name. Many of the dance bids in Don’t Fence Me In were donated by Karen Nagao. Her mother-in-law, Ruth (née Higa) Nagao, was incarcerated in the Pomona temporary detention center and the Heart Mountain concentration camp. While working as a crop picker and nurse’s aide at Heart Mountain, Nagao participated in many events including plays and dances. Her collection of dance bids commemorated block dances and special events like, a New Year’s Eve Dance, a Valentine’s Dance, and a Coronation Ball.
To celebrate big band music, JANM created a Don’t Fence Me In playlist of popular songs from the 1940s and hosted a two-part public program, From Barbed Wire to Boogie Woogie, on June 17, 2023.
From Barbed Wire to Boogie Woogie kicked off with a conversation between dance preservationist Rusty Frank and Rohwer concentration camp survivors, artists, and performers, June Aochi Berk and Takayo Tsubouchi Fischer. Berk and Fischer met at the Rohwer when they were ten years old and have been friends ever since. While incarcerated at Rohwer, they were too young to attend the dances but they were attuned to the fashion of the times and taught themselves how to dance.
Rusty Frank, June Berk, and Takayo Fischer talk about dancing in camp. Courtesy of the Japanese American National Museum.
“I used to love looking at the Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward catalogs,” said Fischer.
“I made my mother buy me white majorette boots, a skirt, and a top. And my brother had to have pachuco pants so he could be in style in camp,” recalled Berk. “We would stand around and watch the big kids dance and we’d go home and copy them. That’s how we learned to dance. My brother always wore his pachuco hat all the time and I would look to see who was dancing with him.”
From Barbed Wire to Boogie Woogie then transitioned to the All Camps Swing Dance with live music from the Fabulous Esquires Big Band and custom dance bids for guests. After Frank led a beginner swing dance lesson for all ages, the Fabulous Esquires played popular tunes from the 1940s like “Don’t Fence Me In,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (which Berk sang in Japanese). Together, the conversation and dance offered all generations the opportunity to connect through music, movement, and immersive history.
Don’t Fence Me Inis now on view through October 1, 2023. Swing by JANM to see it for yourself this summer and shop the exhibition’s collection at the JANM Store!
These days, stopping by a gas station or taking your car to a service center may be seen as a necessary inconvenience but once upon a time, gas and service stations could be like informal neighborhood hubs: a place to stop and chat, even if only for the few minutes it took to top off your gas, check your oil, etc.
This was especially true in Southern California where countless Japanese Americans ran stations through the region. If you grew up here, chances are, you remember a few of your favorite stations. Some of you may even remember the names of the people who used to run them.
If all you remember is the intersection where the station is or was, that’s useful to us. If you remember the name of the station and/or the name(s) of the Japanese American owner(s), even better.
We’re also interested in seeing any photos that people may have of those stations and the people who worked there.
Please fill out this form to submit your response. We’ll use this information to create a database and interactive map of all the gas/service stations in the region, based on all your replies. Thank you!
During the last two weeks of July, JANM had a wonderful time welcoming over fifty teachers from eighteen states for Little Tokyo: How History Shapes a Community Across Generations. These two week-long workshops were funded by a Landmarks of American History and Culture grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Grants are awarded to study topics and themes in K–12 humanities within sites, areas, or regions of historic and cultural significance.
Little Tokyo Historical Society President Michael Okamura with a group of teachers on a walking tour.
JANM examined Japanese American history through the lens of Little Tokyo by exploring how this historic cultural, residential, and business hub for the Southern California Japanese American community transformed over the course of its history. The workshop explored how historical events, legislation, and the community impact this landmark site and the people who are a part of it.
Teachers learned about immigration to the area and the establishment of Japanese stores, restaurants, religious, and cultural institutions in the early half of the 20th century, through the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, a period in which the neighborhood was known as Bronzeville and was home to African Americans from the Deep South who had arrived in Los Angeles seeking wartime employment. Post-war issues around resettlement, eminent domain, redress and reparations, and gentrification; and the present-day challenges and triumphs involved in preserving the history and culture of the area while moving the community forward were also examined.
This was great! The first person testimonies in particular will be something I [will] never forget, and I feel lucky that I get to bring those narratives to my students in the coming year.
—Participating teacher
June Berk and Sande Hashimoto share their memories of pre-war Little Tokyo.
In addition to showcasing the history of this neighborhood and the Japanese American community through JANM’s collection and exhibitions, we are grateful for the many perspectives contributed by scholars, community members, artists, activists, and educators.
The teachers heard from speakers representing organizations including Little Tokyo Community Council, Little Tokyo Historical Society, Visual Communications, and Facing History and Ourselves; artists Dan Kwong, Cog•nate Collective, and TT Takemoto; JANM scholars, educators, and visiting scholars, Dr. Hillary Jenks, and Dr. Mitchell Maki; and many JANM volunteers and community members who shared very impactful first-person experiences and reflections.
My knowledge of the Japanese American experience has grown tremendously and I feel more confident using language, accessing resources, and teaching about the incarceration as well as the resilience of the community then and now.
—Participating teacher
Kristen Hayashi, JANM’s Director of Collections Management and Access and Curator shares about the post-war Little Tokyo resettlement period.
Kristin Fukushima, Little Tokyo Community Council Managing Director discusses the present and future of Little Tokyo.
Kathy Masaoka and Mike Murase discuss post-war Asian American activism.
An updated version of director, writer, and artist Dan Kwong’s “Tales of Little Tokyo” was performed by Kwong and Junko Goda.
There are many threads that make up the very strong fabric of Little Tokyo and we learned so much from all the voices who offered their expertise and shared their experiences.
Teachers with JANM volunteers June Berk, Richard Murakami, and Mas Yamashita, who shared first-person experiences.
Little Tokyo: How History Shapes a Community Across Generations was made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this workshop do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
In observance of the anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, JANM will be closed Tuesday, August 10, 2021.
This legislation reflects the Museum’s commitment to empower history for social justice. The Civil Liberties Act was signed into law on that day by President Ronald Reagan, issuing a formal Presidential apology and symbolic payment of $20,000 of restitution to persons of Japanese ancestry (two-thirds were US citizens) forcibly removed from the West Coast.
The World War II incarceration of 120,000 people at remote concentration camps by the U.S. government was without due process, or evidence of wrongdoing. For more than a century, Asians were considered “outsiders” in the U.S. The Civil Liberties Act acknowledged this dark chapter of history was driven “largely by racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.”
To learn more about the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, here are a few resources:
