LOS ANGELES (Mainichi) — In the history of the United States, Japanese-Americans are the only people of a particular race to be forcibly sent to internment camps by the government. The Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo tells the history of Nikkei people in America, focusing on the reality of forced internment during the Pacific War.
In the regular exhibition, the actual barracks used at the internment camps and a color film help bring to light the reality of those days. Clement Hanami, 59, a Japanese-American who is in charge of designing the exhibit, is the only staff member who has worked at the museum since it opened in 1992.
Hanami said the story of Japanese-Americans is just one among those of racial minorities including “Latinos, African Americans, Koreans, Chinese, Filipinos,” and that the diversity of contributions from all its people “makes America so strong.”
“Everyone has had the same types of struggles of trying to connect or become an American, in spite of how they looked, or what religion they believed in, or where they came from. America is about ideals,” he said.
The title of the exhibition, “Common Ground,” reflects this thought as well.
The significance of conveying the history and injustice of racial discrimination has increased as the number of hate crimes against Asians has skyrocketed. Meanwhile, those who experienced forced internment are aging, and many of them are passing away one after another.
“I think for the next few years… our goal is to engage as many of the survivors that remain to document their stories and find innovative ways to tell their stories to the public,” said Hanami, who is working on an exhibition using the latest technology such as virtual reality.
(Japanese original by Hojin Fukunaga, Los Angeles Bureau)
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