Historical Context
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast. This unprecedented action, driven by wartime hysteria and racial prejudice, led to the creation of ten concentration camps across remote areas of the United States.
The Displacement
Families were given just days to dispose of their property and belongings, allowed to bring only what they could carry. The Japanese phrase "shikata ga nai" (it cannot be helped) became a common expression of resignation to their fate. Yet through "gamman" (endurance and perseverance), communities maintained their dignity and cultural traditions within the confines of barbed wire.
Collective Memory
These panoramic photographs serve as both document and metaphor—a visual representation of the collective memory of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II. Each image is a careful reconstruction of space, pieced together from multiple photographs to create a comprehensive view of these historic sites.
The photographs capture what remains of these camps today: foundations, guard towers, monuments, and the surrounding landscape that once contained thousands of lives. Through these images, we confront not only the physical evidence of internment but also the enduring impact of this historical injustice on the Japanese American community and American society as a whole.