On this day in 1954, my maternal grandmother, Shizu Kurose, became a naturalized citizen. Here is a photo of her with a beautiful lace blouse that I bet she sewed for herself.


In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, I'd love to make a tribute to the Nisei soldiers. Swipe to see a short history lesson, thanks to the National Museum of the United States Army.

I'm thrilled to be part of the programs that are being funded by the grant: 📘 workshops for K-12 teachers 💼 seminars on professional identity and ethics for grad students in law, business, and journalism 🌐 launching the Legacies of Incarcerated Nikkei Connect online platform

Thank you to the incredible speakers- Alien Enemies Act of 1798 has relevance to our #JapaneseAmerican history and to our society today. @USCDornsife @DenshoProject.bsky.social #USCGouldLaw #UCILaw #NCRR & #JACL for their co-sponsorship. #alienenemiesactof 1798 #usc #uscshinsoitocenter

I have hundreds of wonderful reviews from readers across my platforms, and a frequent review that I get is that this book is something every #American needs to read. Were you taught about the #JapaneseAmericanIncarceration in school, or did you find out later in life?

Friends in Japan, head tomorrow to #AsakePlaza for the screening of "Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement." It's a powerful documentary with rare footage chronicling the life and legacy of beloved artist, activist, and storyteller. More information: https://loom.ly/DE06VAI#AsakePlaza

Have you ever been afraid of being beaten? History is repeating itself.

Looking forward to being at the #PostonPilgrimage this Friday and Saturday! This is where my dad and his family were imprisoned along with nearly 18K other persons of Japanese ancestry during #WorldWarII. More info here: https://loom.ly/1nW1PBg

Baseball once offered a rare sense of normalcy & hope to Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII. I’m honored to share the story of its return to Manzanar & what it means today. ⚾ https://loom.ly/6-B3f8U Image:Aaron Rapoport, CC BY-SA @us.theconversation.com

The #OCJapanFair is this weekend! Eat delicious food, shop amazing goods, watch some shows, play games, and so much more this weekend at the OC Fair and Events Center. More info here: https://loom.ly/vbdBkRk#OCJapanFair

Grateful to scholars like Daniel James Brown for highlighting stories like Rudy Tokiwa’s—my dad’s friend from Poston. His work with the 442nd RCT and Civil Liberties Act continues to inspire. #JapaneseAmericanHistory #NeverAgainIsNow #JapaneseAmericanIncarceration

#JapaneseSportsDay! Established to commemorate the #1964OlympicGames in Tokyo, it is celebrated by schools with field days, & lots of events are scheduled on this day, thanks to the perfect weather that early October brings to Japan. Do you celebrate #Japanese Sports Day?

The Ireichō continues its national tour in Crystal City, New York, and Philadelphia. I'll be helping with the stamping when the book gets to the Poston Pilgrimage. It’s an honor to witness camp survivors and their descendants reflect on how incarceration has shaped their families.

Exciting news for my #LosAngeles friends! The #LittleTokyoFarmersMarket is now happening every Saturda The market will feature: ❤️ Culturally relevant, locally grown fruits & vegs ❤️ EBT Matching Benefits ❤️ Wellness resources More info https://loom.ly/RbAL9RM

I'm teaching an in-person course called: War, Race, and the Constitution: Lessons from the #WWIIJapaneseAmericanIncarceration for #SantaClaraUniversity Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) this fall! Come join me 10/19, 11/5, & 11/12 - 10a-12 pm. Lots more info: https://loom.ly/HhMG_-w

Did you know these three shocking facts about the Japanese American incarceration? #japaneseamericanhistory

📢 Reminder! I'm moderating "The Alien Enemies Act of 1798: Understanding 1941 and 2025" 10/9 at USC. Can't make it in person? It's a hybrid event, so you can join via Zoom. Registration: https://loom.ly/FfwOISY 10/9, 3-4:30 @ Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC), 227 denshoproject.bsky.social

After being a farm boy, a Poston incarceree, and an Army medic, my dad was thrilled to become a #Caltech student in 1947. He once described his undergrad and grad school days there to me as "paradise". Today, on his birthday, I'm grateful for the example he set for me to be intellectually curious.

While these publications provided community and connection for these incarcerees, they were also used to show that they had American values. Incarcerees wrote about work opportunities, policy changes, births, deaths, and much more. #JapaneseAmericanHistory #PressFreedom

The FBI was looking for anything with Japanese writing. What would it be like if this happened today? #NeverAgainIsNow #JapaneseAmericanHistory

On this day in 1942, the Rohwer Relocation Center opened in Arkansas. More than 8,000 Japanese Americans were confined there behind barbed wire and under armed guard during WWII. Among them were @georgetakei.bsky.social & his family. IMG: Arkansas State University

The Kazuo Masuda Memorial VFW Post 3670 has received the honor of All-American post by the VFW of the US. My dad was a member of this post and was good friends with the Masuda family. Congratulations to the VFW Post 3670 and the Masuda Family! https://loom.ly/xbcDPQo

Today, we wish Iris Fukutaki a happy 100th birthday! At just 16 years old, she and her family were forcibly removed from their home and sent to an incarceration camp during #WWII. But more importantly, she's been a lifelong friend. Happy birthday, Iris! Photo credit Keith Skelton.

I'm looking forward to moderating "The Alien Enemies Act of 1798: Understanding 1941 and 2025". Can't make it to USC in person? It's a hybrid event, so you can join via Zoom. Registration: https://loom.ly/FfwOISY 10/9, 3-4:30 @ Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC), 227 denshoproject.bsky.social

The Topaz War Relocation Center in Delta, UT opened on this day in 1942. Topaz had a peak population of 8,130 incarcerees, most of whom came from the SF Bay area. Chiura Obata started The Topaz Art School there, which brought the power of art to people in that camp. Read more https://loom.ly/1vRpGqY

My book was officially released 4yrs ago today. What an incredible journey it's been to share the story of the Japanese American incarceration across the country and around the world. So happy my mother lived to see the publication of my book. #JapaneseAmericanHistory

When my family lived in Downey in the 60s, a weekly highlight was when the "fish man" came. The network of sakanaya was such a lifeline for us. Other Sansei--was your family on a fish truck route, too? Image: Glenn Morimoto / @discovernikkei.bsky.social

Don't miss JANM's "Cruising J-Town" exhibit, now open through November 12. (BTW, the title of this exhibit comes from the 1980 hit song by the Sansei band "Hiroshima" -- something that any self-respecting Sansei from Southern California will know!)

Anti-Japanese sentiment was so strong in some areas that people leaving the WRA camps were afraid to return home. Some wanted to stay behind because they feared what awaited them outside the barbed wire. #NeverAgainIsNow #JapaneseAmericanHistory

Brandon further shares how he finds a "profound intimacy" with this history through both firsthand narratives and a lens into the US government. Thank you for the kind review! #NeverAgainIsNow #JapaneseAmericanHistory

Part 3 of #SusansFamilyHistory: Kosekis, or official family records in Japan. With the help of Marty Wolf and my son-in-law's aunt, I dove deep into obtaining my records from Japan. While it wasn't easy, it was one of the most fulfilling things I've done in my life. #JapaneseAmericanHistory

Elated to have well over 200 reviews for When Can We Go Back to America? on Amazon & GoodReads, with the largest percentage being 5-star reviews on both platforms. Thank you to all who have taken the time to review the book. If you're an Amazon fan, you can order yours here: https://loom.ly/EUi3pgk

Honored to be part of the Irei Project team in Twin Falls and Minidoka, ID as camp survivors and descendants stamped their family names in the Ireicho book of incarcerees. Next stops on the national tour: https://loom.ly/sZcb_0 #japaneseamericanhistory #neveragainisnow #aapi

"Ancestry is not a crime." — Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi, M, Seattle, Washington, age 22 when Pearl Harbor was attacked, King County Jail, Tucson Federal Prison/Catalina Federal Honor Camp, McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary #NeverAgainIsNow #JapaneseAmericanHistory #JapaneseAmericanIncarceration

Nothing says summer like shave ice at obon! Thanks to the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple for a great time. #Obon #ObonFestival #ShaveIce #PaloAlto

Japanese calligrapher Kunikaru Toshida, with support from Mimi Wada and Kohei Matsuno, is featuring 24 norens—fabric dividers traditionally hung in doorways — on display until August 17. Learn more here: https://loom.ly/MBt-52k #JapaneseAmericanCulture #LittleTokyo

In June, I saw camp survivors, descendants, and allies come together — physically and emotionally--at the "Changing Perspectives on Japanese American Incarceration" conference in Oakland with JAMPilgrimages. Best quote from archaeologist Mary Farrell: "The more you know, the worse it is."

Join JACCC and Nisei Week Foundation for a multi-weekend celebration of the Nisei Week Japanese Festival in Little Tokyo! 🎌✨ Enjoy art, culture, & community August 9–10 & 16–17. Details 👉 https://loom.ly/CYSKb5o #NiseiWeek #LittleTokyo #JapaneseAmericanCulture

Minoru Yasui was arrested on March 30, 1942, for defying the curfew on Japanese Americans. A judge ruled curfews were unconstitutional for citizens — but then claimed Yasui “repudiated” his citizenship by working at the Japanese consulate. He spent 9 months in solitary. #NeverAgainisNow

A heartbreaking paradox: Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during WWII — yet many still felt compelled to prove their loyalty to a country that had turned its back on them. #JapaneseAmericanHistory #NeverAgainIsNow #WWIIHistory #AAPIHistory

On this day in 1942, 2 ill Issei men — Toshio Kobata and Hirota Isomura — were shot and killed by guards at the Lordsburg camp. Officials claimed they were escaping — but both were too sick to walk. A stark reminder of the inhumanity behind incarceration. #JapaneseAmericanHistory #NeverAgainIsNow

When my mother and her family were taken from their LA home in 1942, they left behind my Aunt Koyeda's cherished piano music. My grandfather kept her music as a memory after she died at 15 in 1934. Today is her birthday, and I am thinking of her.

During WWII, 33,000 Japanese Americans served in the U.S. military — including 142 Nisei women in the Women’s Army Corps. Their service was a “demonstration in blood” that helped prove loyalty and opened the path to freedom for those unjustly incarcerated. #JapaneseAmericanHistory #NeverAgainIsNow

Today is Umi no Hi — Marine Day in Japan. 🇯🇵🌊 For many Japanese immigrants, the Pacific was both a path to hope and a place of parting. My grandfather crossed it in 1903 aboard the Shinano Maru. #UmiNoHi #MarineDay #JapaneseAmericanHistory

Did you know Shintoism was banned in WWII incarceration camps? Labeled “emperor worship,” it was one of several ways Japanese American identity was suppressed behind barbed wire. #JapaneseAmericanHistory #NeverAgainIsNow #DidYouKnow #APUSHistory

On this day in 1942, Mitsuye Endo’s attorney filed a writ of habeas corpus — challenging the government’s right to detain loyal Japanese American citizens in WWII camps. #JapaneseAmericanHistory #NeverAgainIsNow

Especially now, as we witness the ongoing challenges faced by minority communities and the resurgence of troubling themes from the past, it’s more important than ever to look deeply into our history. We must learn from it — so we don’t allow it to happen again. #JapaneseAmericanHistory

This #FourthofJuly, I’m thinking of the Japanese American soldiers who went “Go For Broke” — serving a country that had incarcerated their families. A powerful reminder of resilience, courage, and complicated patriotism. 🇺🇸 #JapaneseAmericanHistory #NeverAgainIsNow

Join a traditional Japanese parade dance practice at Isamu Noguchi Plaza — it’s easy, joyful, and open to all! Bi-weekly through next 2 weeks! 🕺 Info: https://loom.ly/nIClEzM #ObonDance #JapaneseAmericanCulture #LittleTokyo

Dan Kwong’s Samurai Centerfielder and Manzanar Address moved the crowd at Santa Monica Library’s From JA to Shohei event. An honor to join Dan and Kerry Yo Nakagawa to reflect on baseball’s meaning in the camps. ⚾ #JapaneseAmericanHistory #NeverAgainIsNow