April 2021
Facing the Mountain: Virtual Book Launch on 5/11

Join Densho on May 11 for the official launch of Facing the Mountain, a new book about WWII Japanese American incarceration and the 442nd RCT by Daniel James Brown, NY Times bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat. The virtual event will feature a conversation between Brown and Densho Executive Director Tom Ikeda, who has conducted oral histories with many of the men highlighted in the book. Register for this free event today and invite your friends and family to join! 
Dr. Erika Lee's congressional testimony on Anti-Asian Violence

In the wake of the heinous murders in Atlanta and a sharp uptick in anti-Asian hate crimes, Congress held its first hearings on discrimination against Asians in more than 30 years. In her testimony for the hearings, scholar Erika Lee delivered an incisive history lesson showing that these are not isolated events. “As shocking as these incidents are,” Lee writes, “it is vital to understand that they are not random acts perpetrated by deranged individuals. They are an expression of our country’s long history of systemic racism and racial violence targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.” Head to the Densho blog to read Dr. Lee’s full testimony.
Unexpected Sites of WWII Incarceration

Many of us are familiar with the ten major concentration camps where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII, and maybe even some of the dozens of other Department of Justice-run camps that cropped up across the country. But little is known about the everyday buildings that were repurposed to serve as sites of incarceration. Join us as we travel back to a private mansion in Chicago, a tuberculosis sanitarium, upscale hotels in North Carolina, and other sites where Japanese American confinement was hidden in plain sight. Scholars Takako Day, Courtney Sato, and Heidi Kim will present original research and join Densho content director Brian Niiya in conversation on Wednesday, April 21.
Join the Densho Team

We are excited to announce that we’re expanding our team through the addition of three new staff positions. We are seeking a Fund Development Director, a Development Assistant, and an Accountant to help grow our organization and ensure that we can continue working to preserve the stories of Japanese American incarceration for decades to come. Please help us spread the word by sharing these listings with any qualified candidates you know! 
Nisei Radicals: Event Recording

On March 25, we heard from Diane Fujino about her new book, Nisei Radicals: The Feminist Poetics and Transformative Ministry of Mitsuye Yamada and Michael Yasutake. She discussed the radical lineage of Japanese American activism through the lives of feminist poet, Mitsuye Yamada and her brother, Michael Yasutake. Fujino was joined by Yamada for a discussion about the ways her poetry intertwines with her personal life, while also illuminating Japanese American women’s lives, and about the importance of speaking out against racism. If you missed the event, check out the video recording here!
Oral History Spotlight: Talking to an American History teacher who knew nothing about WWII incarceration

Rae Takekawa was born and raised in Bellevue, Washington, and incarcerated at Tule Lake during WWII. She went on to become a teacher in the Midwest. In this clip, she recalls sharing her wartime experiences with a fellow teacher, who had never before heard about the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans.
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