RESISTERS: A LEGACY OF MOVEMENT FROM THE JAPANESE AMERICAN INCARCERATION

October 14, 2022 through September 17, 2023 in the Special Exhibition Gallery

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EXHIBITS

GUIDED TOURS

GUIDED TOUR

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT

Resisters: A Legacy of Movement from the Japanese American Incarceration
October 14, 2022 - September 17, 2023
Special Exhibition Gallery

The signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin Roosevelt and the resulting mass incarceration of Japanese American families living on the West Coast is among the single most traumatic events in the history of Asian America, but many history books present an incomplete view of the full story. The truth is that this event did not happen in a vacuum nor did the people who lived this event do so quietly.

The exhibit leads visitors through a historical narrative beginning with the experience of Japanese American incarcerees in the 1940s and the complicated feelings of shame, anger, fear, and varied faces of resistance from within the community.

Through the following decades, the story illustrates the generational trauma and cultural aftershocks of incarceration, while highlighting the lingering sense of injustice and awakening to justice movements at home and abroad.

Fast forward to 2001 and beyond, the exhibit draws parallels between the stigmatization of Japanese Americans and modern-day anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, anti-Indigenous, anti-Black, and anti-immigrant policies. Visitors leave with a final prompt to consider: In the pursuit of justice, how will you show solidarity for movements today and into the future?

Through art, first-person accounts, historical material, and artifacts, this exhibit connects Japanese American resistance movements during the WWII era to modern BIPOC justice movements and activism today.

SPECIAL GALLERY GUIDED TOURS

FEBRUARY 16 - 18, 2022

11:30 AM & 2:30 PM

LIMITED CAPACITY - GENERAL MUSEUM ADMISSION INCLUDED WITH TICKETS

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Explore this special exhibit with museum curators and get an insider’s look at the artists inspired by movements of activism and resistance. Hear how movements of activism during World War II moved beyond barbed-wired fences of incarceration camps and into the contemporary fights for justice.

Special tickets are required to take part in the tour. Advance registration is strongly recommended. Follow the link below and click on the bolded blue "other times" or "other dates" at the top to find the specific tour time you are searching for.

BEYOND THE GALLERY

MEMBERS FIRST LOOK

OCTOBER 15, 2022
Museum members gathered in celebration of this new exhibit with a special program and speaking artists. Don’t miss the next exhibit opening, become a member today!

OUR READING LIST

Check out this curated list of additional readings on the incarceration of Japanese Americans and other civil rights movements in America. Don’t miss the set of graphic novels published with Chin Music Press

SELF-GUIDED TOURS

Extend your experience beyond the walls of a gallery and find a digital map of the Japanese American Remembrance Trail or pick up a copy of the map at the Wing Luke Museum front desk

JAPANESE AMERICAN GRAPHIC NOVELS

Wing Luke Museum, Chin Music Press, and many voices from the Japanese American community produced and published three graphic novels detailing particular aspects of the Japanese American experience in World War II. Authors include Larry Matsuda, Ken Mochizuki, Tamiko Nimura, and Frank Abe. Art by Ross Ishikawa, Matt Sasaki and Kiku Hughes.

These novels explore historical choices made by Japanese Americans and others to join the war effort, resist incarceration, or become upstanders against it. The books are written for middle school students and older and will give younger students great examples of what it means to stand up for and support each other in the toughest of times. Additional curriculum for teachers can be found here.