Our Story: Cultural Legacies of Japanese American Incarceration
A free conversation and performance with Japanese American artists, scholars, and advocates.
Date: September 11, 2023
Time: 6:00 – 7:30PM
Location: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum – Smith Hall
This event will also be livestreamed
Register for In-Person or Virtual Attendance
Join Japanese American artists, scholars, and advocates for a discussion about the lasting cultural legacy of the United States’ forced mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Moderated by artist and advocate Nina Yoshida Nelsen, the evening will share firsthand accounts and family stories of individuals who endured this historic violation of civil rights, while also shining a light on the creativity and community they nurtured during and after incarceration. Panelists Paul Chihara (composer), Michael Sakamoto (choreographer), and Erin Aoyama (historian) will also give voice to the many ways that incarcerated individuals and their descendants have grappled with this legacy in opera, music, dance, drama, and other forms of cultural expression. The evening will include a short program of contemporary musical performances that are in dialogue with this history, followed by Q&A.
This program complements the Kennedy Library’s new special exhibit Service and Sacrifice: World War II – A Shared Experience. The exhibit will be open free of charge from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Food and drink options will be available for purchase. This exhibit includes photographs taken by Ansel Adams at Manzanar War Relocation Center and artifacts from Manzanar National Historic Site.
This event is a partnership between the Kennedy Library, Boston Lyric Opera, the Japanese American Citizens League, and the Japan Society of Boston.
Learn More
In 1942, the United States imprisoned over 122,000 men, women, and children of Japanese descent, including nearly 70,000 American citizens, at remote incarceration camps in the western United States. This forced relocation resulted in the loss of homes, business and properties, and the basic civil liberties and freedoms promised to all Americans in equal measure.
For decades, Japanese Americans have fought for amends, restitution, and for the truth of this injustice to be told as part of the American story.
Boston Lyric Opera’s forthcoming production of Madama Butterfly reimagines the opera set in 1940s California during WWII and shines a light on the Japanese American experience. Click here for more information and tickets.
Photographs taken by Ansel Adams at Manzanar War Relocation Center and artifacts from Manzanar National Historic Site are on display as part of theJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s special exhibit Service and Sacrifice: World War II – A Shared Experience.
The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose mission is to secure and safeguard the civil and human rights of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and all communities who are affected by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote and preserve the heritage and legacy of the JACL – New England Chapter