Quiet Americans is a digital storytelling project about Japanese American history — stories of injustice, resilience, and resistance. We explore the lessons we’ve learned and the ones we failed to, from the past.
This project is inspired by the life of one Nisei (a second-generation Japanese American) who went from incarceration camps to volunteering for the U.S. Army. He served in the Pacific, worked in post-war Japan as a Military Intelligence Service officer, and later fought in the Korean War. Yet, like so many in his generation, he rarely spoke about it. He carried his story quietly. We’re here to tell these stories, so we never forget.
Latest Stories
The National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism
A memorial for those who believed in the country that didn’t believe in them.
Ralph Lazo
To stand in solidarity with his friends, he incarcerated himself.
Military Intelligence Service (MIS)
The government imprisoned people for teaching Japanese, while secretly teaching it themselves.
Toyo Miyatake
When cameras were banned in the camps, Toyo Miyatake built one himself. His secret photos of Manzanar became powerful evidence of Japanese American incarceration and resilience.
Manzanar Baseball Project
Behind barbed wire, baseball gave Japanese Americans strength, pride, and unity. The Manzanar Baseball Project honors the game that helped them endure injustice and rebuild community.
Lost Battalion
To rescue 211 soldiers, they sacrificed 800 men who “didn’t look American.”
Trending Stories
442nd Regimental Combat Team
July 15, 1943 — the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was activated — an all–Japanese American unit that went on to become the most decorated in U.S. history. But their battle wasn’t just overseas. It was against prejudice at home.
Executive Order 9066
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans. The order paved the way for one of the largest violations of civil liberties in U.S. history.
