Restarting an Oral History Program on the Japanese American World War II Incarceration and Its Aftermath

FAIN: ZPA-283670-22

Densho (Seattle, WA 98144-2023)
Brian Niiya (Project Director: May 2021 to July 2024)

The retention of four key staff and the addition of interviewers, videographers, transcriptionists, and an advisory committee to reestablish the oral history program for an organization devoted to the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II.  

Densho is a public history organization dedicated to the Japanese American WWII incarceration; we work to inspire action for equity and amplify marginalized voices. At the core of Densho’s online holdings are educational, freely accessible video oral histories. At a crucial time, when remaining Japanese American elders with firsthand memories of the incarceration and its aftermath are rapidly dwindling, the COVID-19 pandemic halted our oral history program. We aim to restart this program with the unique focus on Japanese Americans who were inspired by their wartime incarceration to pursue, "a more just, inclusive, and sustainable society," for all Americans. As our country confronts a reckoning with its history of anti-Blackness and the rise of anti-Asian American hate, awareness of these stories and lessons learned promote equity and justice today. NEH funding will support staffing to conduct these time-sensitive interviews and to purchase equipment ensuring quality and preservation.