Ahn Chang Ho
Ahn Chang Ho, an early leader of the Korean American community, worked for Korean independence for decades but died seven years before liberation.
Civil Rights & Activism
Masumi Mitsui
Masumi Mitsui fought for Canada in World War I and earned the Military Medal. In 1942, Canada labeled him an “enemy alien,” seized his family’s farm, and forced them from their home.
World Quaker Day
On World Quaker Day, remember how Quakers stood with Japanese Americans in World War II, from storing belongings to helping 4,000 students leave the camps.
Hart-Celler Act
On October 3, 1965, President Johnson signed the Hart-Celler Act, ending race-based immigration quotas. He called it not revolutionary. It reshaped America.
John Tateishi
Many people opposed Japanese American redress, including Japanese Americans. The story of John Tateishi and the decade-long fight for the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Santa Anita Riot
On August 4, 1942, a routine search for contraband at the Santa Anita Assembly Center escalated into a riot involving 2,000 Japanese American detainees.
Gila River War Relocation Center
Gila River was considered one of America’s least oppressive concentration camps. But even Eleanor Roosevelt left appalled after seeing it for herself.
Karl Bendetsen
Karl Bendetsen conceived, drafted, and processed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the mass removal of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Decades later, he denied responsibility while lying about his own identity.