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
San Jose Chinatown Fire
On May 4, 1887, San Jose’s Chinatown was destroyed in an arson fire, just weeks after city officials voted to remove it. The attack displaced nearly 1,400 Chinese residents and erased one of the largest Chinatowns in California.
Alien Land Law
California’s 1913 Alien Land Law never mentioned Japanese immigrants, but it didn’t have to. By barring “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning land, it effectively targeted Japanese farmers across the state.
Tanforan Assembly Center
They turned a racetrack into a prison. Families slept in converted horse stalls at Tanforan Assembly Center, surrounded by the smell of manure.
Leupp Isolation Center
150 military police guarded fewer than 60 unarmed men at Leupp Isolation Center. Most were never charged with a crime. No one could explain why they were there, not even the people who ran it.
Gordon Hirabayashi
Gordon Hirabayashi refused curfew and removal orders and turned himself in to force a legal challenge in 1942. When the government wouldn’t take him to prison, he hitchhiked. He believed the Constitution would prove him right.
George Takei
Before the final frontier, there was barbed wire. George Takei’s story traces a path from incarceration camps to Star Trek and a lifetime of advocacy.
Trending Stories
Japanese Canadian Incarceration
January 14, 1942 marked the beginning of a seven-year exile for Japanese Canadians. More than 27,000 people were removed, incarcerated, and barred from returning home until 1949.
Kanaye Nagasawa
Kanaye Nagasawa was the first Japanese national to live permanently in the United States and became the first Wine King of California. His legacy tells a story of ambition, success, and an American dream that could not be passed on because of discriminatory laws.
Miyoshi Umeki
In 1958, Miyoshi Umeki became the first Asian actress to win an Academy Award. It was a historic moment, but not a turning point. Her career reflects the limits placed on Asian performers in Hollywood, even after the highest recognition.