Discover the History ofWWII Incarceration
120,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during World War II. Learn about this unprecedented denial of civil liberties and why it still matters today.
Explore Personal Stories
Learn about Japanese American history and the legacy of WWII incarceration by exploring personal stories from those who lived through it.
Promote Equity Today
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Join us in putting the lessons of Japanese American WWII incarceration into action today.
Densho Catalyst: History, Essays, & Opinion
Dive into hidden histories and learn why these stories matter today with the latest essays and opinions from Densho and other community voices.
Arrested for Selling Poetry: Shig Murao, Howl, and the Erasure of a Beat Scene Bookslinger
Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti are household names among the leftist literati, but you’ve probably never heard the name Shig Murao. You’re not alone. Despite the fact that Shig...
Densho’s Public Comments on the Lava Ridge Wind Project
The proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project adjacent to the Minidoka National Historic Site would disrupt the site’s historic significance to survivors of WWII incarceration and their descendants. Densho submitted public...
50 Years Ago, Asian Americans Took a Stand at Wounded Knee
In February of 1973, American Indian Movement activists began the occupation of Wounded Knee. Over the course of the 71-day occupation, Indigenous activists and allies – including a delegation of...
Introducing Naomi Ostwald Kawamura
Densho is excited to share that Naomi Ostwald Kawamura will be our next Executive Director! Naomi brings a rare combination of experience in education, museums, nonprofit leadership, and a passion for Japanese American history and memory work.
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Campu: A Podcast
Campu weaves together the voices of survivors to spin narratives out of the seemingly mundane things that gave shape to the incarceration experience: rocks, fences, food, paper. Follow along as hosts Hana and Noah Maruyama move far beyond the standard Japanese American incarceration 101 and into more intimate and lesser-known corners of this history.
Encyclopedia
Thousands of articles about the history of the Japanese American WWII exclusion and incarceration experience. Here are a few to get you started:
Topaz
The "Central Utah Relocation Center"—more popularly known as Topaz—was located at a dusty site in the Sevier Desert in central Utah and was the second least populous of the WRA camps.
Winona trailer camp
Trailer camp in Burbank, California, that the War Relocation Authority established in late 1945 to address the acute housing need for Japanese Americans returning from the concentration camps.
Milton Murayama
Japanese American short story writer, playwright, and novelist of books that capture the different perspective of the Oyama family as they struggle to reconcile their Japanese heritage with their experiences growing up in Hawai'i.