During World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes on the West Coast of the United States and incarcerated in remote camps in the nation’s interior. Their only crime was being of Japanese ancestry. For many years, the incarcerees and their descendants have struggled with the correct terminology to describe what happened during the war, but the Japanese American National Museum and other groups like the Japanese American Citizens League as well as scholars of Asian American history have been clear on this issue: people of Japanese ancestry were placed in concentration camps. That phrase continues to mean different things to different people, though.

Actor and activist George Takei, a camp survivor himself, will join JANM Chief Curator Karen Ishizuka in a discussion of the use of the term “concentration camp” throughout history, how and why JANM came to use the term, and its use today with regard to refugees and migrants.

This program is free, but RSVPs are required.

THIS PROGRAM IS SOLD OUT

If you RSVP’d, we recommend you arrive early. Seats are first come, first serve. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. There will be a stand-by line starting at 6:15 p.m. Unclaimed seats will be released at 6:50 p.m.