Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project
Encyclopedia
Densho is an award-winning nonprofit organization based in Seattle, Washington, which collects video oral histories and documents regarding Japanese American internment
in the United States during World War II
. Densho offers a free online digital archive of the primary sources for educational purposes.
word densho means "to pass on to future generations." The organization was founded in 1996 with a primary goal of collecting personal testimonies from Japanese Americans who were incarcerated in “internment” camps during World War II. Over the years, its mission expanded to "educate, preserve, collaborate, and inspire action for equity". Densho uses digital technology and best archival practices to collect, record, preserve, and share its oral histories, documents, photographs, newspapers, and other primary source materials documenting the wartime detention of 120,000 people of Japanese descent without due process of law.
camps as well as the Justice Department and War Department detention facilities. In addition, Japanese Americans who were not detained, as well as Caucasian employees in the camps tell their stories to Densho. Prominent people such as Norman Mineta
, Senator Daniel Inouye
, Dale Minami
are included in the collection, but the organization's goal is to capture life stories of diverse Japanese Americans from all walks of life. Densho continues to interview survivors of the camps and others who can describe how the forced removal and detention affected people's lives. The broader goal is to inform the public about the false basis for the mass incarceration so that a similar injustice does not affect another group.
Densho presents public education programs such as author talks, and collaborates with cultural organizations such as the Wing Luke Asian Museum
, the Museum of History and Industry
, and the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center. Densho assists oral history
generation and preservation by other ethnic heritage and cultural organizations, such as the Bainbridge Island
Japanese American Community and the Japanese American National Museum
in Los Angeles. These efforts expand and enrich Densho’s mission by drawing connections with the Japanese American experience and other little-recorded and seldom discussed stories of discrimination, racism, and stereotyping faced by many ethnic communities, both in the past and today.
Densho offers curriculum units investigating civil liberties issues. For example, the lesson “Causes of Conflict” guides students through a study of the issues of immigration via the essential question: “How do conflicts over immigration arise from labor needs and social change?” In the unit “Dig Deep,” they explore the media and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II by asking the question, “How do members of a democracy become fully informed so that they can participate responsibly and effectively?” In the unit “Constitutional Issues: Civil Liberties, Individuals, and the Common Good,” students find answers to the question, “How can the United States balance the rights of individuals with the common good?” Densho's education efforts encourage students' critical thinking and respect for everyone's civil liberties.
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
in the United States during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Densho offers a free online digital archive of the primary sources for educational purposes.
History
The JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
word densho means "to pass on to future generations." The organization was founded in 1996 with a primary goal of collecting personal testimonies from Japanese Americans who were incarcerated in “internment” camps during World War II. Over the years, its mission expanded to "educate, preserve, collaborate, and inspire action for equity". Densho uses digital technology and best archival practices to collect, record, preserve, and share its oral histories, documents, photographs, newspapers, and other primary source materials documenting the wartime detention of 120,000 people of Japanese descent without due process of law.
Organizational Structure
Densho is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt status, founded in Seattle in 1996 as a project of the Japanese American Chamber of Commerce of Washington State. It became an independent organization in 2002. The annual operating budget is approximately $.5 million. Densho has a Board of Trustees with nine members and a staff of seven, led by Executive Director Tom Ikeda. Program activities are supported by over 100 volunteers and graduate student interns. Financial support is provided by foundation and government grants, corporate sponsorship of the Sushi & Sake Fest fundraising event, and individual donations.Awards
Densho has received the first NPower Innovation Award for groundbreaking use of technology; the Association of King Country Historical Organization long-term project award; an American Library Association citation for online history; and a Washington State Historical Society award. The Executive Director, Tom Ikeda, has received a Humanities Washington Award for outstanding contributions to the humanities and the Japanese American Citizens League Biennium Award, among other honors.Activities
Densho's online archive contains over 700 hours of indexed and transcribed video interviews and 10,000 historic photos and documents. The website also includes free social studies curricula meeting Washington-State standards. Over 350 video interviews detail individuals' experiences at the 10 War Relocation AuthorityWar Relocation Authority
The War Relocation Authority was a United States government agency established to handle internment of Japanese-, German-, and Italian-Americans during World War II...
camps as well as the Justice Department and War Department detention facilities. In addition, Japanese Americans who were not detained, as well as Caucasian employees in the camps tell their stories to Densho. Prominent people such as Norman Mineta
Norman Mineta
Norman Yoshio Mineta, is a United States politician of the Democratic Party. Mineta most recently served in President George W. Bush's Cabinet as the United States Secretary of Transportation, the only Democratic Cabinet Secretary in the Bush administration...
, Senator Daniel Inouye
Daniel Inouye
Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. Inouye is the chairman of the United States Senate...
, Dale Minami
Dale Minami
Dale Minami is a San Francisco-based lawyer best known for heading the legal team that overturned the wrongful conviction of Fred Korematsu, whose defiance of the World War II Japanese American internment order lead to Korematsu v...
are included in the collection, but the organization's goal is to capture life stories of diverse Japanese Americans from all walks of life. Densho continues to interview survivors of the camps and others who can describe how the forced removal and detention affected people's lives. The broader goal is to inform the public about the false basis for the mass incarceration so that a similar injustice does not affect another group.
Densho presents public education programs such as author talks, and collaborates with cultural organizations such as the Wing Luke Asian Museum
Wing Luke Asian Museum
The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience is located in Seattle, Washington's Chinatown-International District. A Smithsonian Institution affiliate, it is dedicated to engaging the public to explore issues related to the culture, art and history of Asian Pacific Americans...
, the Museum of History and Industry
Museum of History and Industry
The Museum of History and Industry is a museum located in the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States.Accredited by the American Association of Museums, MOHAI is "dedicated to enriching lives by preserving, sharing and teaching the diverse history of Seattle, the Puget Sound...
, and the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center. Densho assists oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
generation and preservation by other ethnic heritage and cultural organizations, such as the Bainbridge Island
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...
Japanese American Community and the Japanese American National Museum
Japanese American National Museum
The opened its doors in 1992. The idea for the museum was originally thought up by Bruce Kaji with help from other notable Japanese American people at the time. The museum is located in the Little Tokyo an area near downtown Los Angeles, California. It is devoted to preserving the history and...
in Los Angeles. These efforts expand and enrich Densho’s mission by drawing connections with the Japanese American experience and other little-recorded and seldom discussed stories of discrimination, racism, and stereotyping faced by many ethnic communities, both in the past and today.
Densho offers curriculum units investigating civil liberties issues. For example, the lesson “Causes of Conflict” guides students through a study of the issues of immigration via the essential question: “How do conflicts over immigration arise from labor needs and social change?” In the unit “Dig Deep,” they explore the media and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II by asking the question, “How do members of a democracy become fully informed so that they can participate responsibly and effectively?” In the unit “Constitutional Issues: Civil Liberties, Individuals, and the Common Good,” students find answers to the question, “How can the United States balance the rights of individuals with the common good?” Densho's education efforts encourage students' critical thinking and respect for everyone's civil liberties.