Our Resources
Our Resources
Our Resources
The Legacy Center (est. 1999) is the research archive of the Japanese American Service Committee (formerly the Chicago Resettlers Committee, est. 1946). The archive preserves:
- JASC’s own organizational records;
- Historical materials that help to document the histories of Japanese and Japanese Americans in the Chicago area.
Our collection includes the following materials:
- artifacts
- photographs
- scrapbooks
- diaries
- correspondence
- newsletters
- reports
- memorabilia
- ephemera
- audio and video recordings
- books
- periodicals
The Legacy Center’s collection has grown and developed thanks to donations from individuals and families committed to preserving our legacy. In return, we at JASC are dedicated to serving our community, educators, researchers, and students by providing access to our vast resources.
Our holdings are searchable via our databases (search in our finding aids or browse the list of archival collections; or search/browse our book/journal collections). We welcome inquiries regarding reference and research assistance, appointments to access the collection, and prospective donations via telephone ((773) 275-0097, ext. 222) or email (legacy@jasc-chicago.org).
To view our archival materials on site, and for visitor information, please visit “Accessing the Collections.”
To learn more about JASC’s history:
- Early Days of the Japanese American Service Committee: The Chicago Resettlers Committee* (curated by Jane Kenamore)
- Origins of Now: ReBuilding Community* (curated by Jane Kenamore)
Highlights from the Collection:
- Annual Reports of Chicago Resettlers Committee / Japanese American Service Committee (1946–1953, 1973–2010)
- Short video documentaries of JASC activities (as part of “the Issei Gerontology Project,” 1975)
- Oral History Collection (interviews from 2017–2022)
Web exhibits developed from the collection (curated by Jane Kenamore):
- Beauty in Desolation: Art from the Camps, 1942-1945* (decorative items made in incarceration camps)
- Winning the Peace: The Story of Chicagoans in the Military Intelligence Service, 1941-1952* (on Japanese Americans’ contributions to the U.S. Military Intelligence Service)
- Two Countries / Two Kibei* (on the lives of two Japanese Americans during and after WWII)
Educational resources:
- Uprooted (interactive, multimedia-based resource for educators; suitable for Grades 6–12)
- Reckoning (interactive, multimedia-based resource for educators; suitable for Grades 9–12 and for college students)
- Subject Guide: Chicago’s Japanese American Neighborhoods
- Recommended resources for learning about Japanese American history
