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
Kristi Yamaguchi
When Kristi Yamaguchi won Olympic gold in 1992, she made history as the first Asian American woman to do so in winter sports. But her victory also exposed deeper tensions about race, identity, and who was seen as marketable in America.
Bhagat Singh Thind
In 1923, the Supreme Court ruled that “white” meant what the “common man” believed it meant — not what science said. Bhagat Singh Thind, a World War I veteran classified as Caucasian, lost his U.S. citizenship because he was not considered white enough.
Day of Remembrance
February 19 marks the signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942. In 2022, it was formally designated as the national Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Incarceration, recognizing decades of survivor testimony and the movement that led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907
In 1907, amid rising racial tensions in California, the United States quietly pressured Japan to stop sending laborers. The “Gentlemen’s Agreement” avoided formal legislation, but it set a precedent: immigration would be limited not by equality, but by race.
George Shima
After failing English in Japan, George Shima emigrated to California and became the state’s first Japanese millionaire and “Potato King.”
Aki Kurose
Born in a diverse Seattle neighborhood in 1925, Aki Kurose’s childhood was interrupted by incarceration and discrimination. Those experiences fueled her lifelong work to dismantle segregation, expand access to education, and reshape public schools for the children most often left behind.
Trending Stories
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.
Angel Island Immigration Station
Angel Island Immigration Station opened in 1910 to enforce anti-Asian immigration laws. Asian immigrants were detained, interrogated, and excluded by design, turning immigration enforcement into incarceration decades before WWII.
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.