Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of the Japanese American WWII Experience

We brought together students, alumni, faculty, and the community and college stakeholders to turn an exhibit on Japanese American internment during World War II into a space for community reflection, learning, and relationship-building. Expanding on a touring exhibit created by the Go For Broke National Education Center to tell the stories of communities that supported Japanese Americans during World War II., we uncovered hidden histories of Oberlin’s response to Japanese interment and of the experiences of the nearly 40 Japanese American students who studied at the college during the war. Our work included expanding the core exhibit with additional panels and artifacts that related to Oberlin’s wartime history; developing and facilitating field trips for nearly 600 local K-12 students; and organizing a month-long series of public programs that included concerts, film screenings, public talks, and community gatherings. Attracting over 1200 current students, alumni, faculty, and local residents during its four-week run, the exhibit and accompanying programming encouraged visitors to explore the history of wartime incarceration in light of contemporary debates about immigration, government power, and sanctuary cities. Our work deepened the impact and widened the audience for the nationally touring exhibition and led to a new sense of the importance of this wartime history for the identity of the college and the city.