Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery Presents
Japanese American women who experienced the World War II mass incarceration have a long history of activism that includes protests within the camps, participation in the social movements of the 1960s, and the successful campaign for a national apology and monetary redress. They, their daughters, granddaughters, and non-binary individuals continue to invoke memories of the World War II injustice to defend the rights of all people of color in their activism and art.
Showing the powerful connection between the past and the present, this exhibit highlights how women’s historical memories helped win redress, challenged racial and gender stereotypes, promoted intergenerational ties, and developed coalitions with other communities fighting discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, immigration status, gender, and sexual orientation.
This exhibit was sponsored by The Humanities Institute | The Humanities Division | California Civil Liberties Public Education Fund.
Exhibition curated by Alice Yang, Chair of and Associate Professor of History; and Martabel Wasserman, Curator of the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery.
Remembering the grave injustices to Japanese-Americans in the 1940s through female activism
Read the October 24, 2023 Newscenter article by Grace Stetson for more information about the exhibit and Dr. Yang's research.
The Japanese American Mass Incarceration, Art, Activism, and Multiracial Solidarity
November 17, 2023 | 3 to 6 PM
Page Smith Library, Cowell College
Join us for a panel discussion with Karen Tei Yamashita and traci kato-kiriyama. The panel discussion will be moderated by Alice Yang.
Karen Tei Yamashita, UCSC Literature Professor Emerita, acclaimed author of Letters to Memory, and a 2021 recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, will read from her work, discuss her research, the creation of the Yamashita family archive, and the legacy of the mass incarceration and a loyalty questionnaire for her family and the Japanese American community.
traci kato-kiriyama will read from Navigating With(out) Instruments - a collage of poetry and reflections of intersectional identity & memory - and discuss legacies of silence and collective noise in relation to World War II mass incarceration of Japanese Americans, friendship & solidarity in movement building, and how we can (must) use our voices for collective self-determination and transformation today.
Reception to follow.
Directions and Parking The Page Smith Library is located in the Cowell College Courtyard. The closest parking lots can be found at Cowell and Stevenson Colleges, Lots 107, 109, 110, and 108. Slightly farther parking can be found at East Field House, Lot 103A, and Merrill College, Lot 119. Here is a map of the parking lots at UCSC. For more information about parking on campus, please refer to the Transportation and Parking Services website.
