The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC) through an OSPI Kip Tokuda Civil Liberties grant is co-sponsoring a teacher workshop on the WWII Japanese American Department of Justice Camps experience.  The workshop is co-sponsored by the National Japanese American Historical Society and the National Park Service Confinement Sites grant program.

In the 1930s and 1940s numerous people living in the United States were identified as “enemy aliens” and placed on a secret government list called the Custodial Detention List.   Join your colleagues for open-ended inquiry to consider the question - How did being placed on the government’s Custodial Detention List impact the lives and communities of people of Japanese ancestry?

We take a close look at the Custodial Detention List and the political policies and climate that led to the incarceration of both citizens and aliens of Japanese ancestry within hours of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Through dialogue, primary materials, personal stories, we piece together a more complex narrative and analysis about the earliest government actions, public response, and the trauma, resilience, and resistance of the individuals and communities of people of Japanese ancestry. Materials are written for secondary students, but can be adapted for middle school students.

The award-winning documentary film, Honor & Sacrifice: The Roy Matsumoto Story will be shown, and a tour of the Nisei Veterans Hall will also be available.  Participants will receive a copy of Honor & Sacrifice DVD, and site license for the film.

The workshop is co-sponsored by the National Japanese American Historical Society, San Francisco; the National Park Service, the United Tribes Technical College, and the WA Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The website to sign up: 

https://www.njahs.org/teaching-untaught-histories-workshop/

There will be a $300 stipend for teachers, free clock hours, and a copy of the DVD "Honor & Sacrifice: The Roy Matsumoto Story" with site license.  Lunch and light refreshments.