After the bombing of Pearl Harbor an Executive Order was issued by President Roosevelt taking action to imprison all Japanese Americans living on the west coast of the USA.  There was a fear of spies in the U.S. (as well as inherent racism), therefore, Executive Order 9066 was passed.

Japanese Americans, most of which had lived in the states for decades or were born here, were forced to give up homes and lands, never able to return. Children spent a large part of their childhood in the camps, learning and living in this secluded and harsh environment.

Many Japanese American artists were affected by this Internment and they were able to share the effects of this internment through their art. They experienced discrimination during and after Internment, and each of them dealt with it differently.

This collection was made as part of a 2022 Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop “Little Tokyo: How History Shapes a Community Across Generations,” which has been 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 collection do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the views of the workshop presenters/ host institution. #NEHLittleTokyo2022