I Am An American, Japanese Incarceration in a Time of Fear

A partnership with the Anaheim Public Library and Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center, I Am an American presents the story of an amazing testament of courage and determination of its Japanese American pioneers and their descendants before and after WWII.

Anaheim High School was the center of North Orange County education for this community where they established businesses and a church prior to WWII. Anaheim was attractive for these families to return and rebuild with the city becoming a center for local Japanese American commerce and religion in Orange County. This 5,000 square foot exhibit will feature personal testimonials, artifacts and memorabilia as well as give a first-hand look at the Poston, Arizona incarceration camp experience which affected and devastated those in Anaheim and Orange County from 1942 – 1945.

This project was funded, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.

This material received Federal financial assistance for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally funded assisted projects. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to:

Office of Equal Opportunity National Park Service
1201 Eye Street, NW (2740)
Washington, DC 20005

Also sponsored by Mary Hirahara, Anaheim Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Anaheim Public Library