Northbrook Public Library Exhibit – Further Reading

Further Reading to Accompany the 2023 One Book, One Northbrook Exhibit

The selection for Northbrook Public Library’s One Book, One Northbrook in 2023 is Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara.  The JASC Legacy Center collaborated with NPL staff to develop an exhibit to provide historical context for the book.  The resources below are grouped according to the subject matter of each section of the exhibit and are intended to provide a jumping off point for further exploration.

Introduction

• On Terminology
  • Terminology, Densho
  • The Power of Words, Japanese American Citizens League
  • Euphemisms, Concentration Camps, and the Japanese Internment, NPR
• General Reference
  • Resettlement in Chicago, Densho Encyclopedia
  • Introduction to WWII Incarceration, Densho
• Previous Exhibits
  • Then They Came for Me – Introductory Video, Alphawood Gallery
  • Origins of Now, Japanese American Service Committee

Pre-World War II: Japanese American Immigration Patterns to the U.S.

• Immigration, Densho Encyclopedia
• WWII Incarceration, Part I : A Community Grows, Despite Racism, Densho
  The first of six parts in Densho’s introduction to World War II incarceration history, this segment includes both explanatory text and a short video.
• The U.S. Mainland: Growth and Resistance, Library of Congress
  Part of the Library of Congress’ series on Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History, this is the second segment of the chapter on Japanese immigration.

Pre-WWII: Early Japanese in Chicago

• History, Japanese Mutual Aid Society
  A brief history of one of the earliest organizations founded by and for Japanese people in Chicago.  The Japanese Mutual Aid Society is still in operation today, and serves an important role in the Japanese American community.
• The Japanese Young Men’s Christian Institute of Chicago and the Japanese Women’s Club, 1907-1929, Nikkei Chicago
  Written by local historian Mayumi Hoshino in 2016, this article is one of many on the Nikkei Chicago website that delve into various aspects of Japanese American history in Chicago.
• Nisei Recollections of a Pre-Resettlement Chicago, Nikkei Chicago
  This 2013 article from Nikkei Chicago focuses on the memories of the few second-generation (Nisei) Japanese Americans who experienced life in Chicago prior to the influx of new arrivals during and after World War II.

Forced Removal and Incarceration: Pearl Harbor and Executive Order 9066

• Executive Order 9066, Densho Encyclopedia
• Assembly Centers, Densho Encyclopedia
• Looking Like the Enemy, Densho
  The second of Densho’s six-part introduction to World War II incarceration history, this segment combines explanatory text and a short video exploring the impact of Executive Order 9066 in the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Forced Removal and Incarceration: Life in Camp

• American Concentration Camps, Densho
  Part three of Densho’s introductory series on World War II incarceration, this segment explores life in the incarceration camps through explanatory text and a short video.
• Campu podcast, Densho 
  A carefully researched and beautifully produced series of six podcast episodes created by siblings Hana and Noah Maruyama, drawing heavily from Densho’s extensive oral history collection.  Each episode explores a different theme of camp life through the voices of camp survivors woven together with carefully crafted narrative.  (Episodes: Rocks, Paper, Fences, Cameras, Latrines, Food)
  

Forced Removal and Incarceration: Release from Camp

• Japanese American Responses to Incarceration, Densho
  Part four in Densho’s introductory series on World War II incarceration, this segment describes the range of choices made by Japanese American in response to their unjust incarceration.  Like the other segments in this series, it includes both explanatory text and a short video.
• Resettlement, Densho Encylopedia
• 44nd Regimental Combat Team, Densho Encyclopedia
• Military Intelligence Service, Densho Encyclopedia

Resettlement in Chicago: Choosing Chicago, Work Life and Housing, and Social Life

• Resettlement in Chicago, Densho Encyclopedia
• “A Report”, 1947, Chicago Resettlers Committee
  This report published in 1947 by the Chicago Resettlers Committee (later renamed the Japanese American Service Committee) provides insight into the challenges faced by Japanese Americans seeking employment, housing, and social services during the Resettlement era in Chicago.
• “Stardust and Street of Dreams: Chicago Girls Clubs”, Chicago History, Spring 2001
  This article by Alice Murata explores the role of girls clubs in the social lives of young Japanese Americans in Chicago during the Resettlement era.
• Japanese Americans on Chicago’s South Side – Oakland/Kenwood, 1940s-1950
  A series of three articles by Erik Matsunaga published on the Discover Nikkei website.
  
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Part 3
• Japanese Americans on Chicago’s Near North Side, 1940s-1960s
  A series of three articles by Erik Matsunaga published on the Discover Nikkei website.
  
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Part 3

Redress and Contemporary Activism: Redress Movement

• Redress Movement, Densho Encyclopedia
• Righting a Wrong, Densho
  Part five of Densho’s six-part introductory series on World War II incarceration, this segment covers the redress movement through a combination of explanatory text and a short video.
• Reckoning, Japanese American Service Committee
  This interactive, multimedia-based digital experience shines a light on the Japanese American redress movement and the contributions of Chicagoans to the national effort. Designed with classroom use in mind, it features first-person narrative elements and includes key terms, reflection questions, and supplemental resource lists pointing to many primary source materials for further exploration.

Redress and Contemporary Activism: Community Memory

• Chicago Day of Remembrance
  Visit this website to view information about current and past events marking the annual Day of Remembrance on the anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066.  The Chicago Day of Remembrance is a joint program of the Chicago Japanese American Historical Society, Japanese American Citizens League – Chicago Chapter, Japanese American Service Committee, and Japanese Mutual Aid Society
• Kansha Project, Japanese American Citizens League – Chicago Chapter
  The Kansha Project is a program offered by the JACL Chicago Chapter to help Midwestern Japanese Americans ages 18-25 learn about their identity, history and community.
• Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages
  A centralized resource for information about pilgrimages and other educational opportunities connected to the former incarceration sites.
• Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago
  This resource from AAAJ’s Chicago chapter provides information about the TEAACH Act in Illinois, including training workshops and implementation resources for teachers.

Redress and Contemporary Activism: Taking Action Today

• “Japanese Americans Hang Paper Cranes At Cook County Jail To Protest Mass Incarceration And Police Brutality”, Katherine Nagasawa, WBEZ
  This article describes the 2020 protest organized outside Cook County Jail by Japanese Americans to raise awareness about mass incarceration and police brutality.
• “Japanese Americans See Parallels Between New Immigration Policies And WWII Incarceration”, Katherine Nagasawa, WBEZ
  This article describes the participation of Japanese American community members in a 2018 march to protest migrant family separation and detention.
• Why Does This Matter Now?, Densho
  The sixth and final part of Densho’s introductory series on World War II incarceration, highlighting the relevance of this history to contemporary issues.