“A doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” Read more
Alien Land Law
“Alien land laws are most often associated with western states' attempts to limit the presence and permanence of Japanese immigrants . . . by forbidding ‘aliens ineligible for citizenship’ from purchasing, and later from leasing property.” Read more
Anti-Japanese exclusion movement
“These efforts ranged from introducing discriminatory legislation that discouraged further Japanese immigration, encouraging and enforcing boycotts of Japanese businesses, and spreading propaganda.” Read more
Assembly centers
“ ‘Assembly centers’ were makeshift concentration camps providing temporary housing for about 92,000 people of Japanese ancestry uprooted under Executive Order 9066.”Read more
Assimilate
Assimilation is when a minority group or culture assumes the values, behaviors, and beliefs of a majority group or culture. Read more
Black Belt
“From the turn of the twentieth century until after World War II, the term ‘Black Belt’ was commonly used to identify the predominantly African American community on Chicago’s South Side.” Read more
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese navy launched a surprise military attack against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor located on the island of O'ahu. Read more
Bon Odori (Obon)
“A Buddhist summer ceremony in which the spirits of departed ancestors are welcomed back to the world of the living for their annual visit.” Read more
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
“Established in 1824, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is responsible for the administration and management of . . . estates held in trust by the United States for American Indian, Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives.” Read more
Chicago Resettlers Committee (CRC)
Established in 1945 and later renamed the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC), this organization focused on helping resettled Japanese Americans find housing and work. The JASC continues to provide social services and cultural activities today. Read more
Chicago Shimpo
A Japanese American newspaper created in 1945 by former incarceree Ryoichi Fuji, who saw a need for a local Japanese-language newspaper to serve the more than 20,000 Japanese Americans who resettled to Chicago after World War II. Read more
Civilian exclusion orders
“A series of orders issued by Gen. John L. DeWitt as head of the Western Defense Command (WDC) directing the exclusion of ‘all persons of Japanese ancestry, including aliens and non-aliens’ from designated areas on the West Coast.” Read more
Colorado River Indian Reservation
“The CRIT Reservation was created in 1865 by the Federal Government for ‘Indians of the Colorado River and its tributaries,’ originally for the Mohave and Chemehuevi, who had inhabited the area for centuries.” Read more
Concentration camp
A place for confining people deemed enemies of a nation under harsh conditions that disregard acceptable legal norms of arrest and imprisonment. Read more
Department of Justice camps
Department of Justice camps held Japanese, German, and Italian aliens who the FBI labeled as dangerous after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Unlike their Italian and German counterparts, most Japanese Americans held in these camps were sent to War Relocation Authority camps if granted parole after trial. Read more
Executive Order 9066
Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, the order authorized the mass removal and incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast. Read more
FBI
During World War II, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated and arrested select Japanese residents in the U.S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor and monitored and investigated Japanese Americans throughout the war. Read more
Fifth Column
“A fifth column is a group of people residing in a given country who work to actively support a wartime enemy of that country from within by engaging in espionage or sabotage or who engage in such activities in anticipation of war.” Read more
Ginza Holiday
“In 1955, the Midwest Buddhist Temple in Chicago created ‘an event that would introduce Japanese food and entertainment to the temple’s neighbors.’” Read more
Hyde Park and Kenwood
Two adjacent community areas located on the shore of Lake Michigan on the South Side of Chicago. In the 1940s and ’50s, the area was one of the few places Japanese Americans were able to secure housing. Read more
Issei
A Japanese language term meaning “first generation,” which refers to Japanese immigrants in the United States who were born in Japan. Read more
Loyalty questionnaire
In 1943, the War Department and War Relocation Authority (WRA) created and disseminated a questionnaire to all adult incarcerees that asked Japanese Americans to disavow any loyalty to Japan and pledge their complete loyalty to the United States. Read more
Nisei
A Japanese language term meaning “second generation,” which refers to Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to immigrant parents and who are American citizens by birth. Read more
Olivet Institute
A large settlement house and community center on Chicago’s Near North Side that offered religious, civic, and social programming for all community members. Read more
Ozawa v U.S.
In 1922, the Supreme Court deemed Japanese migrants “aliens ineligible for citizenship,” putting them in the same category as other migrant groups prohibited from becoming citizens. It was not until 1952 that racial restrictions on naturalization were fully eliminated. Read more
Perpetual foreigner
A stereotype that positions ethnic minorities as always being the ‘other’ in relation to a majority group, in this case the white dominant society of the United States. Read more
Poston
“Poston was a War Relocation Authority (WRA) concentration camp located in southwestern Arizona near the town of Parker, close to the border with California.” Read more
Propaganda
Information that intentionally tries to influence public opinion by presenting biased or misleading messages. Read more
Racially restrictive covenants
Legal clauses that were included in property deeds to prohibit non-white people from buying or occupying land. Read more
Racism
“A belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits . . . [and] the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another.” Read more
Sansei
A Japanese language term meaning “third-generation,” which refers to Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to Nisei (second-generation) parents. Read more
U.S. naturalization laws
Laws that define the legal process and eligibility requirements for immigrants to “naturalize” and become U.S. citizens. In the initial laws of 1790, naturalization was available only to “free white persons.” Read more
War Relocation Authority (WRA)
The War Relocation Authority (WRA) was the government agency created in 1942 to manage the forced removal and incarceration of all people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast during World War II. Read more
White flight
The departure of white people from areas with large racially and ethnically diverse communities. Read more
Xenophobic
Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of something that is perceived to be foreign. Oftentimes, xenophobia refers to a dislike or prejudice of people from other countries or cultures. Read more
Yonsei
A Japanese language term meaning “fourth-generation,” which refers to Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to Sansei (third-generation) parents. Read more
Abstract Terms
Belonging
The sense of unity with others via culture and/or shared values that provide feelings of safety, solidarity, and care.
Censorship
The act of limiting free speech performed by the dominant group, usually based upon ideological grounds and alleged to be an act of protection.
Collective memory
The shared history and experiences of a specific group that becomes a part of that group’s cultural identity.
Community
A group bound by common values, culture, interests, and/or needs that often works collectively for the good of the group.
Compliance
The process of adhering to rules or structures imposed by others.
Disruption
A change resulting in a break from the normal course of a system, process, or event.
Evacuation
The forced removal of individuals for the purpose of their safety, or the perceived safety of others. In the context of Japanese American incarceration history, now considered a euphemistic term.
Financial security
The safety provided by having an adequate amount of money within one’s societal structure.
Incarceration
The confinement of individuals commonly understood as a form of punishment resulting from criminal acts. Individuals or groups may be wrongfully incarcerated as a result of the politics and ideologies of the dominant group.
Injustice
An unfair act or condition that violates the rights of an individual or group.
Longing
The desire for a person, place, or thing that is out of reach.
Model Minority
The cultural stereotype often applied to people of Asian descent in the United States of being more intelligent, successful, and docile than other minority groups. Therefore becoming the “model” that other minorities should strive for and are compared to.
Nationalism
An ideology based on identifying with one’s nation, and prioritizing its interests and values over that of other nations. This may include a belief in the supremacy of one’s nation over others.
Patriarchy
The hierarchical social structure that places cisgendered men in power above all other genders.
Patriotism
The expression of loyalty and enthusiasm for the culture and ideology of a geographic location.
Persistence
The quality of determined continuation despite consistent hardship and challenges.
Power
The ability to control or direct individuals and/or events, held by some groups and not by others.
Resettlement
The process of settling people in a new location. Often used in reference to refugee populations or groups undergoing persecution by the dominant social group.
Resilience
An ability to cope with difficult situations and withstand adversity; the process of adapting to challenging life circumstances.
Resistance
Pushing back against opposition. In socio-political contexts, resistance is often performed by minority groups against authoritarian or oppressive structures.
Sense of home
The safety and comfort one derives from a place whether it is the result of the place itself or the individuals and objects present.
Solidarity
The commitment to a group via shared ideology and values that creates mutual support and unity.
Work ethic
The principle that working hard is a good moral and indicates virtue. Often connotated with the model minority stereotype, which assigns a hard work ethic and compliant behavior as a stereotype of all Asian Americans.