The Museum's Life History Program
The Japanese American National Museum recognizes the importance of oral history and is dedicated to working with the Japanese American community to document history through the techniques of oral history. The Museum's Life History Program was establis hed in early 1995, joining several other excellent programs in the quest to recover Japanese American history through oral history. (See Directory of Resources) The program was named the Life History Program to encompass oral and written material that h elps us to understand individual lives in the context of our broader American history. Oral history is particularly important for the Japanese American community. As a community of color, our history is often marginalized from the mainstream historical record. Oral history provides a way for marginalized communities to record and interpre t the meaning of historical events from their own perspective. No longer is history told about them, but rather history is told by them. Moreover, the anti-Japanese hysteria of World War II forced many families to destroy irreplaceable photographs, letters, and other documentation. These historical records would have been very valuable to researchers today. Oral history offers one way in which some of this lost history can be recovered. Life History Program Goals Research, education and access are the Life History Program's primary concerns. Our goals are to collect materials for research, develop and conduct educational workshops, and provide public access to these materials. Through on-site and off-site prog ramming of exhibitions, public programs, education, and other multimedia forms we share the personal, intimate stories of history that touch the heart. The Life History Program will be housed in the Museum's new Pavilion, scheduled to open in the January of 1999. This state-of-the-art building will be the home of an oral history recording studio and of the Hirasaki National Resource Center, where oral history materials will be made available to the public. The establishment of the Hirasaki National Resource Center allows us to serve our on-site and off-site visitors in providing greater access to our collection. Life history is a compelling way to illustrate how history affected individual lives. Many of our exhibitions and projects incorporate life history materials. "An Island in Time: The Terminal Island Story," "America's Concentration Camps: Remembering the Japanese American Experience," "Fighting for Tomorrow: Japanese Americans in America's Wars," and the video essay Looking Like the Enemy, all utilize the testimonies of those who experienced historically significant events. Whether through video docu mentary or the Military Database, an interactive computer database of American veterans, these first-person accounts express an intimate history in a uniquely powerful way. Life History Workshops Education is a key component to the Life History Program. The Museum provides training classes in order to encourage the community to participate in historical documentation by engaging them in the techniques of oral history. We currently offer a three-hour Introductory Workshop that covers the basics of conducting an interview. We also offer a more extensive class, the Oral History Training Series, a four-day training class that takes place over a two-month period. Students are required to complete a personal project and present their work to the class. The intent is to provide an encouraging atmosphere to ensure that students follow through on their projects on their way to becoming lifetime oral historians. The class is conducted as a roundtable discussion in which everyone shares their difficulties, as well as their creative solutions. The students' enthusiasm, warmth and commitment are the essence of the class. The class also features guest lecturers who share their expert knowledge with students. Guests have included Dr. Arthur Hansen, Director of the Japanese American Project at California State University, Fullerton, Dr. Akemi Kikumura of the Japanese American National Museum, Dr. Timothy Fong of Holy Names College, Dr. Valerie Matsumoto of UCLA and archivist/oral historian Shirley Stephenson. Many students continue to be involved in the Life History Program as volunteers. The Museum's Life History Program will rely on volunteer participation to reach individuals we might not otherwise be able to interview. We are now establishing a core group of volunteers to conduct interviews for the program. As we continue to provide training for community organizations, family historians, and Museum volunteers, we will expand the number of trained community historians collecting oral histories. Building Community Partnerships The Museum is working in partnership with a variety of community organizations to reach our collective goals. The Museum provides training for communities interested in documenting their history. Whether "communities" are geographic, occupational, organizational, or based on a shared experience, each has a unique perspective and interesting story to tell. Communities often have individuals with the passion and commitment to capture their community history. These are the people who are willing to put their heart and soul into a project. They are the ones who save "artifacts," keep scrapbooks, tell and retell stories to those who are willing to listen. They are also the ones who are curious enough to ask questions, listen and remember. As we are able to build partnership with communities and identify these community sparkplugs, we know that we will accomplish exciting things. In developing partnerships with community organizations, the Museum shares staff expertise and training tools. We provide the national standards and guidelines in oral history, tap into our National Scholarly Advisory Committee, and encourage connections between various local and regional communities. As we learn from each community, we are also developing models to enrich the experiences in other communities. In return, the Japanese American National Museum requires that standards and guidelines are met, and that original or duplicate copies of the transcripts and tapes are deposited at the Museum's Hirasaki National Resource Center, where the collection will be properly cared for and made accessible to the general public. Leaving a Legacy for the Future There are many stories about individual lives and vanishing and thriving communities that need to be told. We know that time is of the essence if we are to capture these stories before it's too late. Many of the Issei and Nisei have passed away. With them have gone wondrous tales of their adventures in a new and unfamiliar world, and poignant accounts of the hardships that they faced in America. It is critical that members within communities become involved in the process of historical documentation. The longer we wait, the less we will be able to recover. Together with communities across the nation, the Life History Program is committed to documenting the lives of Japanese Americans. As we collect life history it is equally important to insist that materials are properly processed, stored and made accessible to the public. We must collaborate to insure that the legacy we leave for the future is a wealth of knowledge. If we work together, our combined knowledge, resources and energy will enable us to reach our common goals. |
