Ugly History: Japanese American incarceration camps - Densho

TED-Ed4 minutes read

Aki Kurose, a Japanese American, was affected by the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, facing discrimination and later advocating for multicultural education, impacting many students. The US government apologized in 1988 for the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans, acknowledging the unjust treatment they faced.

Insights

  • Aki Kurose, a Japanese American, endured forced relocation and detention in overcrowded, unsanitary camps during World War II due to Executive Order 9066, leading to long-lasting impacts on her and her community's lives.
  • Despite facing post-war prejudice, Aki Kurose emerged as a powerful advocate for multicultural education, influencing numerous students and contributing to a broader societal understanding of the injustices faced by Japanese Americans during the wartime incarceration, ultimately leading to a formal apology from the US government in 1988.

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Recent questions

  • What was Executive Order 9066?

    It was an order issued by President Roosevelt in 1942.

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Summary

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Japanese American Aki Kurose's Advocacy Journey

  • Aki Kurose, a Japanese American, experienced the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, leading to the alienation of over 120,000 Japanese Americans due to Executive Order 9066 issued by President Roosevelt in February 1942.
  • Aki and her family were relocated to "Camp Harmony" in Puyallup, Washington, one of the makeshift detention centers where Japanese Americans were detained in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, later moving to Minidoka in southern Idaho.
  • After the war ended in 1945, Aki returned to Seattle, facing post-war prejudice and discrimination, but she became an advocate for multicultural education, impacting thousands of students, while the US government officially apologized in 1988 for the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans.
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