Japanese American National Museum

Having a great time ar Tsunagi Matsuri! Food, entertainment, and family fun at JACCC Plaza in Little Tokyo. Stop by JANM's booth to say hi, make some origami, and win some swag. tsunagi.matsuri

Crown City Delivers a History Lesson Cloaked in Mystery An opulent dinner set beneath cherry blossom trees. A racist attack in front of the exclusive Hotel Green. The theft of a painting from a Japanese artist’s studio. A deceased body discovered in The Arroyo. Turn-of-the-20th-century Pasadena, nicknamed Crown City, comes to life through the eyes of 18-year-old Ryunosuke Wada, a newly arrived immigrant from …

Two real-life people are featured in award-winning author Naomi Hirahara’s third book in her Japantown Mystery series, "Crown City." Learn the background of the novel and how they fit into the story! discovernikkei.org/e...
Naomi Hirahara will be at @jamuseum.bsky.social on Mar 21! Click for info.

Memory as power and resistance Dear arts writers and friends,

Memory as power and resistance
open.substack.com/pub/rabkinfo...

On the Cusp of America’s 250th, Communities Push to Reclaim Their Narratives As the Trump administration pushes to rewrite the nation’s history, communities across the country are pushing back against who gets to tell it.

We’re nearing the 250th anniversary of the United States, and it requires all of us to ask a fundamental question: Who gets to decide what this country remembers, and who gets to decide what it forgets or erases?
americancommunitymedia.org/community/on...

February 19, 2026 INSTRUCTIONS TO ALL PERSONS OF JAPANESE ANCESTRY As survivors and descendants of the mass removals, detention, deportation, and family separation targeting our community during WWII, we refuse to stand by idly while our friends and neighbors are violently disappeared, forcibly removed, mass incarcerated, and separated from family members. We decry the murders of community members and at least 37 people in ICE custody and enforcement in 2025. We reject false narratives that state violence is "unavoidable," a "justifiable military action," necessary for "national security"—the same arguments used as they forced our parents, grandparents, aunties, and uncles into U.S. concentration camps in 1942. On this Day of Remembrance, we call on Japanese Americans and all people who believe in "Never Again" to demand justice for those we have lost—on the streets and hidden away in ICE detention centers. To break this cycle of state violence. To rise up and resist, together. We bravely commit to being the allies our familes needed during WWII. STOP REPEATING HISTORY. #TsuruForSolidarity #FreeFamilies #FreeThemAll

84 years ago today, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, ordering the removal and incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans, about two-thirds of whom were US citizens. The Day of Remembrance this year comes as we see DHS buying land and warehouses for more camps now.

Caption from the Japanese American National Museum: Ink drawing by Harold Kakudo titled "A Moment in History" Executive Order 9066. Camp scene of several incarcerees gathered around and saluting the flag. Bottom center of drawing reads "...With Liberty and Justice For All."

Feb 19, 1942: Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. #DayofRemembrance #EO9066

"The presidential order launched the unjust incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans in concentration camps across the US during WW2," @jamuseum.bsky.social. blog.janm.org/2026/02/03/d...

Credit: Home Movies of Forced Removal from Guadalupe, CA / 1942. Filmed by Franklin Johnson, Gift of Grace Shinoda Nakamura, in partnership with the Academy Film Archive, funded in part by the National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Program. 97.234.1

In 1942, over 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry were unjustly incarcerated in America's concentration camps and deprived of their civil rights and due process. Sadly, there is an absolute parallel between what happened then and what’s happening today to immigrant communities throughout the nation.

Resist: Kodomo no Tame Ni Kodomo no Tame Ni—“for the sake of our children” is a phrase often cited by Japanese Americans to describe the sacrifices our grandparents and great-grandparents made in order for us to live in America. I think of that phrase in the context of what is happening today in our country. In 1942 it was the …

Hot off the presses is Gwen Muranaka's latest comic on being Nikkei! The time for “Kodomo no Tame Ni”—“for the sake of our children,” is now.

On Cusp of 250th Anniversary – The Push to Reclaim Community Narratives As the U.S. nears its 250th anniversary, communities push back against efforts to erase nonwhite history. Speakers discuss reclaiming community narratives amid censorship of museums, monuments, and…

ACoM News Briefing Recap
As the U.S. nears its 250th anniversary, communities are reclaiming histories threatened by censorship, monument removals, and curriculum limits—working to preserve a fuller American story.
🔗 buff.ly/fgbxkyc
#Community #History #ACoM

What Must Be Done? The Battle Against Fascism Podcast Episode · It Could Happen Here · 02/05/2026 · 39m

Last month the Japanese American National Museum asked me to deliver a keynote speech on what is necessary to combat authoritarianism and preserve democracy. You can listen to it and the Q&A that followed here:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...

Japanese American soldiers once branded 'enemy aliens' to be promoted posthumously Japanese American soldiers will be promoted in a ceremony, decades after they died fighting for the U.S. during World War II despite having been branded “enemy aliens.”

Remember their sacrifice for our country.

Daniel Betsui
Jenhatsu Chinen
Robert Murata
Grover Nagaji
Akio Nishikawa
Hiroichi Tomita
Howard Urabe

May they rest in peace and their sacrifice never forgotten. cc: @jamuseum.bsky.social

abc7chicago.com/story/japane...

The National Park Service (NPS) has removed an exhibit called “Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation” at the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. The decision comes after president Trump to remove “corrosive ideology” from cultural heritage venues.

buff.ly/ni1GGsk

MPR News on Instagram: "WARNING: The following video includes visuals that may be disturbing. Just after 9 a.m. Saturday in Minneapolis' Whittier neighborhood, multiple federal immigration agents wer... 119K likes, 8,338 comments - mprnews on January 24, 2026: "WARNING: The following video includes visuals that may be disturbing. Just after 9 a.m. Saturday in Minneapolis' Whittier neighborhood, mult...

Here’s the video. It’s the American way to gang up on a man and shoot him? Where’s the threat?

Sorry, it is in fact the American way.

In solidarity with museums taking a stand ❤️

Slavery exhibits at President's House in Philadelphia removed after Trump administration directive Crews dismantled plaques telling the stories of the nine enslaved people who lived in the President's House and were owned by George Washington.

The attempts at the wholesale erasure of history will not help us achieve a more just America. We must ensure that history is told fully and truthfully, and carry the lessons of history forward.

6abc.com/post/philade...

Alabama uses Japanese American Internment era law to charge immigrants who don’t self-register Alabama is finding new ways to criminally charge undocumented immigrants

What is happening today harkens back to the registration of the Issei, which was a precursor to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. They also harken back to the scapegoating of the Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans leading up to WWII.
www.al.com/news/2026/01...

Scot Nakagawa will be a panelist at our symposium,
Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Building Democracy, this Friday!

Read his piece below and get tickets to the symposium: www.janm.org/events/2026-...

Alabama uses Japanese American Internment era law to charge immigrants who don’t self-register Alabama is finding new ways to criminally charge undocumented immigrants

Do we need to say it louder? Here. Louder.

" Federal courts in Alabama are using a law last applied during the U.S. internment [incarceration] of people of Japanese descent during World War II to charge immigrants who don’t register themselves..."

www.al.com/news/2026/01...

Echoes of History will explore how culture, organizing, and collective memory push back against authoritarianism.

If this post found you, consider this an invitation to use our discount code CCFECHOES for $50 off (in-person) or $5 off (virtual).

Tickets: janm.org/democracy

I have been invited to give the keynote speech on combatting authoritarianism at the Japanese-American National Museum's Echoes of History symposium on January 23rd in Los Angeles. You can buy tickets in person or to watch via the Livestream!

www.janm.org/democracy/ev...

ICE Kidnapping occurred on January 14, 2026, at at the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo.

Get tickets: www.janm.org/events/2026-...

Graphic with headshot of Tyler Green. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Rafael Gonzalez. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Renee Tajima-Pena. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Hamza Walker. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Afternoon panelists at our upcoming symposium!

Tyler Green, historian, author, and host of The Modern Art Notes Podcast
Rafael Gonzalez, President and CEO, Grand Performances
Renee Tajima-Pena, Professor, UCLA @rtajimapena.bsky.social
Hamza Walker, Director of The Brick and co-curator of Monuments

www.janm.org/events/2026-...

Graphic with headshot of Gustavo Arellano, Columnist, Los Angeles Times. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Miguel Santana, President and CEO, California Community Foundation. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Memo Torres, Director of Engagement, L.A. Taco. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

How Does a City Respond? with panelists:

Gustavo Arellano, Columnist @latimes.com
Angelica Salas, Executive Director @chirla-org.bsky.social
Miguel Santana, President and CEO, California Community Foundation
Memo Torres, Director of Engagement, L.A. Taco @eltragon.bsky.social @lataco.bsky.social

Hear from Damon Brown (Special Assistant Attorney General, State of California) about Antiauthoritarianism and Building a Legacy for the Future

www.janm.org/events/2026-...

Graphic with headshot of Don Chen, President of Surdna Foundation. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Viet Thanh Nguyenm Pulitzer-Prize winning author and professor. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Scot Nakagawa, Co-founder and Co-Director of 22nd Century Initiative. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Margaret Huang, Former President of Southern Poverty Law Center. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Speakers for Panel 1 —Antiauthoritarianism: Building a Legacy for the Future

www.janm.org/events/2026-...

Robert Evans @iwriteok.bsky.social will join JANM President and CEO Ann Burroughs in a Fireside Chat!

Graphic with headshot of Robert Evans, Journalist, Author, Podcast Host. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Glenn Kaino, contemporary artist. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Graphic with headshot of Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International. Democracy Center logo in white at the top left. White text in top right corner reads, "Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Democracy Building. January 23, 2026 | janm.org/democracy"

Echoes of History: Inspiring Civic Action and Building Democracy

Hear from keynote speakers Agnès Callamard of Amnesty International, Robert Evans of the Behind the Bastards and It Could Happen Here podcasts and Glenn Kaino, an acclaimed contemporary artist.

Tickets: www.janm.org/democracy/ev...