Key Terms

(1916-1990) Nisei World War II veteran and U.S. Senator from Hawai’i who played a leading role in passing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. He was also known for his work on advancing civil rights, peace initiatives, and Asian American political representation. Read more

(1895–1989) Assistant Secretary of War during World War II and a key architect of Japanese American incarceration. He accepted false claims of espionage, dismissed contrary intelligence, secured approval for mass removal, shaped Executive Order 9066, protected the policy from legal challenge, and later opposed redress. Read more

“Data about data,” term used to describe information that provides context, structure, or description for other data. Often used in the context of material in libraries or archives to describe key identifying information, such as the date that something was created or who it was created by.

(1931–2022) U.S. Congressman who helped pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 by introducing the House bill, lobbying colleagues, and sharing his own childhood experience of incarceration. He later became the first Asian American to serve as a presidential cabinet member when he joined the cabinets of President William Clinton (2000–01) and President George W. Bush (2001–06). Read more

1996 lawsuit filed by Japanese Latin Americans who accused the U.S. government of discriminatory exclusion for denying Japanese Latin Americans redress for their World War II internment. The 1999 settlement provided a limited apology and $5,000 payment, which was widely seen as an unequal and incomplete form of accountability, especially when compared to what was provided to Japanese Americans with the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Read more

Collective of Issei mothers from Topaz concentration camp who organized a petition and protested against continued discrimination and their Nisei sons’ lack of citizenship rights after the draft was reinstated. Read more

U.S. Supreme Court justice from 1940-1949.

Refers to President Donald J. Trump’s 2017 executive order that barred nationals from a number of Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.. After the executive order was challenged in court, Presidential Proclamation 9645 was issued and approved by the Supreme Court in 2018, which banned entry of nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Chad, Venezuela, and North Korea with additional countries added in 2020. These travel bans were removed by President Joe Biden in January 2021.

(1928–2003) Nisei activist and founding member of National Coalition for Redress/Reparations.

One of the three major organizations that fought for Japanese American redress. NCRR, now known as Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress, was led primarily by Sansei activists who challenged redress leadership in the Japanese American Citizen’s League (JACL) and sought redress through alliances with other communities of color within a broader collaborative mission designed to resist white supremacy, imperialism, and discrimination nationally and globally. In the fight for redress, NCRR was responsible for bringing in witnesses and voices from former detainees with working-class and non-English speaking backgrounds to guarantee that the CWRIC heard from a greater variety of people. Read more

One of the three major organizations that fought for Japanese American redress. Led by William Hohri, NCJAR opposed the JACL’s legislative approach and instead rallied support for a class action lawsuit, which advocated for greater monetary compensation and more expedient reparations for aging Nikkei. The class action lawsuit was ultimately rejected by the courts, but many believe that the pressure from the class action lawsuit led to more substantial reparations granted by the 1988 Civil Liberties Act. Read more

An ideology based on identifying with one’s nation, and prioritizing its interests and values over that of other nations. This may include a belief in the supremacy of one’s nation over others.

Laws that define the legal process and eligibility requirements for immigrants to “naturalize” and become U.S. citizens. Under the initial laws of 1790, naturalization was available only to “free white persons.” Read more

Class action lawsuit filed in 1983 by the National Council for Japanese American Redress (NCJAR) that sought remedies for Japanese American incarceration during World War II. The lawsuit sought $27 billion in reparations for Japanese Americans—about $220,000 per former incarceree. While the NCJAR’s case was ultimately unsuccessful, its higher monetary demand may have intensified pressure on Congress to pass H.R. 442, the reparations act aligned with the CWRIC’s recommendations.

Phrase most often associated with the Holocaust and used to protest war and genocide. Japanese Americans adopted the phrase to protest any kind of wrongful incarceration, detention, or civil rights violations based on race and ethnicity.

A broad term generally used to describe Japanese emigrants and their descendants living outside Japan. In parts of this project, Nikkei is used in lieu of Japanese Americans because it is more inclusive of all people of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated, such as Issei and Japanese Latin Americans.

Broad term used to describe Japanese emigrants and their descendants living outside Japan. In parts of this project, Nikkei is used instead of Japanese Americans because it is more inclusive of all people of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated, such as Issei and Japanese Latin Americans.

A Japanese language term meaning “second generation,” which refers to Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to immigrant parents and who are American citizens by birth. Read more

Japanese language term meaning “second generation” which refers to Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to immigrant parents and who are U.S. citizens by birth. Read more

Japanese Americans who answered “no” to both loyalty questions in 1943 and were labeled disloyal, sent to Tule Lake, and faced decades of postwar stigma. There were both men and women “no-nos,” but “no-no boys” have generally received more attention, as is the case with John Okada’s 1957 novel titled No-No Boy. Read more

Public university in Chicago that hosted a CWRIC hearing in 1981 and houses a collection of materials related to Japanese American redress, including video recordings of the 1981 Chicago CWRIC hearings. Served as the location for the filming of Enough.

U.S. Navy intelligence agency responsible for gathering and reporting on maritime activities, operations, and threats.

Black nationalist organization founded in 1964 by Malcolm X that sought to build international solidarity among people of African descent. The organization linked struggles for Black freedom in the United States to global movements against colonialism, racism, and imperialism. Read more

1922 Supreme Court case that deemed Japanese migrants “aliens ineligible for citizenship” regardless of qualifications and put them in the same category as other migrant groups prohibited from becoming citizens. It was not until 1952 that racial restrictions on naturalization were fully eliminated. Read more

Founded in 1929 as the official newspaper of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), it documents Japanese American experiences, including World War II incarceration, redress, and ongoing community issues. Read more

Strategic waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that was completed in 1914 and fully controlled by the United States until 1977. During World War II, some Japanese Latin Americans were forced to perform grueling work in the Canal Zone under strict supervision.

The hierarchical social structure that places cisgendered men in power above all other genders.

The expression of loyalty and enthusiasm for the culture and ideology of a geographic location.

A stereotype that positions ethnic minorities as always being the ‘other’ in relation to a majority group, in this case the white dominant society of the United States. Read more

The quality of determined continuation despite consistent hardship and challenges.

The report compiled by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) in 1982, which found that Executive Order 9066 was driven by race prejudice and political failure, not military necessity. It documented losses and rights violations suffered by Japanese Americans. Months later in 1983, the commission published their recommendations, which included an apology, pardons, restitution, education funding, and $20,000 in reparations, directly shaping the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Read more

Organized visits back to former World War II concentration camp sites that were started largely by Sansei in the late 1960s and grew to become annual events that include participation from all communities confronting civil rights violations. Read more

Information that intentionally tries to influence public opinion by presenting biased or misleading messages. Read more

Temporary World War II detention center in Washington state known as “Camp Harmony” that held over 7,300 Japanese Americans from Seattle, Tacoma, and Alaska on the Puyallup Fairgrounds in 1942. Read more

Question 27 asked if you would be willing to serve in the armed forces while Question 28 asked if you would forswear all allegiance to the Emperor of Japan and commit yourself solely to the United States. These questions are particularly well known because of those who answered no and no to both questions. There were different reasons for answering no and no to these questions. For some, they believed that the question about forswearing allegiance to the emperor was a trick question because it implied that they had any allegiance to the emperor in the first place.

Legal clauses that were included in property deeds to prohibit non-white people from buying or occupying land. Read more

“A belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits . . . [and] the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another.” Read more

(1911-2004) 40th President of the U.S. who initially opposed redress but eventually signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 into law, formally apologizing to Japanese Americans for World War II incarceration and authorizing monetary redress. Read more

Set right or make up for an unfair circumstance. In the U.S. Constitution, the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances is protected by the 1st amendment. Read more

Temporary World War II detention center in Washington state known as “Camp Harmony” that held over 7,300 Japanese Americans from Seattle, Tacoma, and Alaska on the Puyallup Fairgrounds in 1942. The campaigns for Japanese American redress culminated in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Read more

During World War II, 5,589 Japanese Americans formally gave up their legal status as U.S. citizens, largely out of protest, and were sent to Tule Lake Segregation Center. Read more

Act of making amends, offering expiation, or giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury sometimes through payment of damages. Read more

Pushing back against opposition. In socio-political contexts, resistance is often performed by minority groups against authoritarian or oppressive structures.

Pushing back against opposition. In socio-political contexts, resistance is often performed by minority groups against authoritarian or oppressive structures.

Navy intelligence officer who published the “Ringle Report” in 1942 which contradicted the need for mass removal and incarceration. His report was suppressed after he submitted it to his superiors. Read more

Intelligence report written by naval intelligence officer Kenneth Ringle in January 1942. The report opposed mass incarceration, stating that people of Japanese descent did not pose any inherent threat to the safety of the United States and that disloyalty must be evaluated on an individual basis.

(1882–1945) 32nd President of the United States, who signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Read more

A Japanese language term meaning “third-generation,” which refers to Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to Nisei (second-generation) parents. Read more

Japanese language term meaning “third-generation,” which refers to Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to Nisei (second-generation) parents. Read more

New Jersey agricultural and food-processing enterprise that employed thousands of Japanese Americans released from concentration camps, where they endured long hours, low wages, and crowded housing that mirrored their prior confinement. Read more

The safety and comfort one derives from a place whether it is the result of the place itself or the individuals and objects present.

(1930-2018) Japanese Peruvian and former internee whose decades of legal and public advocacy challenged the U.S. over the forced deportation and incarceration of Japanese Latin Americans during World War II. Read more

2003 human rights petition filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that contested post-war labeling of Japanese Latin Americans as "illegal aliens" and their exclusion from reparations granted by the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The petition (Case 12.545) was filed by Japanese Peruvian brothers Isamu Carlos (Arthur), Kenichi Javier, and Takeshi Jorge. In 2020, the IACHR sided with the three brothers, ruling that the U.S. should provide redress for Japanese Latin Americans. Read more

(1953-) Director of the Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project and Campaign for Justice, she leads efforts to secure redress for Japanese Latin Americans forcibly brought to the U.S. and interned during World War II.

The commitment to a group via shared ideology and values that creates mutual support and unity.

Group of interacting elements that act according to a set of rules or constraints to achieve a specific function or purpose. JusticexDesign offers examples. Some systems are very tangible and practical. Other systems might be ideological or conceptual. Some examples of systems include: systems of government, transportation, language, architecture, communication, media, family, religion, immigration, the economy, manufacturing, land use, and more. There are also systems of oppression like racism, ableism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, heterosexism, classism, and others. More liberatory systems include community organizing and systems that keep democracy possible like voting and elections. Read more.

Japanese word for “drum,” used outside of Japan to refer to various types of Japanese-style drums as well as ensemble drumming.

(1951-) Japanese American lawyer who helped vacate Fred Korematsu’s conviction in 1983, helped overturn the court’s Korematsu ruling in 2018 co-founded StopRepeatingHistory.org, and served on the California Reparations Task Force.

Temporary detention center in San Bruno, CA, that held almost 8,000 Japanese Americans in converted horse stalls in 1942 before most were transferred to the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah. Read more

(1939-) Prominent figure in the Japanese American Redress Movement who worked alongside Clifford Uyeda in establishing the CWRIC hearings. In 2020 Tateishi published the book Redress: The Inside Story of the Successful Campaign for Japanese American Reparations. Read more

Another term used by the U.S. government for “assembly centers,” detention facilities hastily erected to temporarily hold people of Japanese ancestry after Executive Order 9066 was signed. Everyone incarcerated in temporary detention centers were moved to more permanent concentration camps run by the War Relocation Authority between May and October of 1942. Read more

Coalition of the Black Student Union and others formed in 1968 on the San Francisco State campus to combat racist admissions practices and curricula. Read more

Located in Utah, Topaz was one of ten main concentration camps built to imprison people of Japanese descent who were forcefully removed from the West Coast during World War II. Read more

(1884-1972) 33rd President of the United States who was in office from April 1945 to 1953 during the final years of Japanese American resettlement. Read more

(1931-2015) President of the national JACL from 1980-82 who testified at the CWRIC hearing in Washington D.C. and Seattle, WA, in 1981.

Japanese American activist organization that works to shut down present-day concentration camps in the U.S., build solidarity with other communities targeted by state violence, and organize cross-community healing and protest. Read more

Initially one of ten main concentration camps built to imprison people of Japanese descent who were forcefully removed from the West Coast during World War II and later used to imprison those deemed disloyal from all ten camps as a segregation center. The camp was located in Northern California. Read more

(1907-2004) Hawaiʻi-born Kibei incarcerated at Manzanar who emerged as a leading critic of camp administration and JACL leadership. His arrest in December 1942 helped trigger the Manzanar Riot, after which he was imprisoned in multiple isolation centers without trial, later becoming an outspoken supporter of Japanese American redress. Read more

Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, and Alaska Peninsula. In 1942, the U.S. forcibly removed over 800 Unangax̂ from their homes after Japanese attacks, confining them in southeast Alaska in brutal living conditions. Read more

Foundational law of the United States ratified in 1788, establishing the structure of the federal government, enumerating powers, and protecting individual rights through its articles and amendments. Read more

(1929–1976) Nisei civil rights activist, educator, and organizer, widely regarded as the father of the Japanese American Redress Movement. He worked within the JACL to advance early efforts for reparations, organized pilgrimages to former incarceration sites, and helped establish one of the first Ethnic Studies programs in the U.S. at San Francisco State University. He died at 47, more than a decade before the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was passed, and did not live to see the redress he had long fought to achieve. Read more

Laws that define the legal process and eligibility requirements for immigrants to “naturalize” and become U.S. citizens. In the initial laws of 1790, naturalization was available only to “free white persons.” Read more

(1917-2004) Nisei pediatrician and JACL leader who helped secure a pardon for Iva Toguri D’Aquino, advanced the Redress Movement, and supported draft resisters. He also sparked controversy with racist views during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s that reinforced the model minority myth. Read more

War between communist North Vietnam and U.S.-backed South Vietnam from 1955–1975, which inspired massive protests. Activists, students, and communities of color criticized U.S. involvement, linking the war to racism, imperialism, and the human cost of military intervention. Read more

A branch of the U.S. Army started during World War II that allowed women to serve in non-combat roles in support of military operations. The Women’s Army Corps dissolved in 1978 and were integrated into non-gender specific units. Read more

The War Relocation Authority (WRA) was the government agency created in 1942 to manage the forced removal and incarceration of all people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast during World War II. Read more

The government agency created by executive order in 1942 to manage the forced incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry who had been living on the West Coast during World War II. Read more

World War II incarceration sites operated by the War Relocation Authority (WRA), where Japanese Americans, forcibly removed from the West Coast, were confined for extended periods without due process. The ten main camps were Manzanar and Tule Lake in California, Gila River and Poston in Arizona, Topaz in Utah, Heart Mountain in Wyoming, Jerome and Rohwer in Arkansas, Minidoka in Idaho, and Amache (Granada) in Colorado.

World War II agency, under the Western Defense Command, responsible for organizing the forced removal of Japanese Americans from the West Coast and managing their detention in temporary assembly centers in 1942. Read more

(1926-1999) Nisei author and activist whose book Years of Infamy used archival research and her own incarceration experience to challenge claims of military necessity and becam foundational to the Redress Movement. Read more

U.S. Army command established in 1941 to defend the western United States. The WDC, initially led by Commanding General John L. DeWitt, orchestrated the mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans, maintaining this exclusion from the West Coast from 1942 to late 1944. Read more

The departure of white people from areas with large racially and ethnically diverse communities. Read more

A social, cultural, and political movement that gained new momentum in the 1960s and 1970s, advocating for gender equality in areas such as employment, education, reproductive rights, and legal protections.

A war fought between the Allied and the Axis powers from 1939 to 1945 and referred to as a “world” war because many leading combatants were empires that drew colonized countries from all over the globe into the war. The U.S. entered the war after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Millions perished during the war, including the genocide of 6 million European Jews in the Holocaust.

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of something that is perceived to be foreign. Oftentimes, xenophobia refers to a dislike or prejudice of people from other countries or cultures. Read more

(1916-1986) Nisei lawyer who challenged the constitutionality of Japanese American curfews during World War II in Yasui v. United States (1943). He deliberately violated curfew in Portland, Oregon, and was arrested and convicted. The Supreme Court upheld his conviction, citing military necessity. In the 1980s, a coram nobis case revealed that the conviction had been contingent on government misconduct and, as a result, his conviction was vacated in 1983. Read more

Michi Nishiura Weglyn’s 1976 book which used archival research to challenge the government’s claim of military necessity for Japanese American incarceration. The book is sometimes referred to as the “Bible of the Redress Movement.” Read more

A Japanese language term meaning “fourth-generation,” which refers to Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to Sansei (third-generation) parents. Read more