old family portrait

Lectures & Discussions

Angel Island’s Hidden History: WWII Detention of “Enemy Aliens”

old family portrait

Lectures & Discussions

Angel Island’s Hidden History: WWII Detention of “Enemy Aliens”

Join JANM and the Nikkei Genealogical Society for an in-depth guide to Angel Island’s hidden history during World War II. Historian and genealogist Grant Din, co-curator of the exhibit Taken From Their Families, will illuminate the experiences of nearly 700 Japanese immigrants temporarily detained at Angel Island’s Fort McDowell before transfer to other camps. As a former director of Community Resources for the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and a forty-year veteran in genealogical research, Din offers deep knowledge of the immigration hub and its overlooked role as a World War II detention center.

This program is presented in partnership with the Nikkei Genealogical Society.
 

FREE

Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM PDT

Japanese American National Museum

Democracy Center

100 North Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Join JANM and the Nikkei Genealogical Society for an in-depth guide to Angel Island’s hidden history during World War II. Historian and genealogist Grant Din, co-curator of the exhibit Taken From Their Families, will illuminate the experiences of nearly 700 Japanese immigrants temporarily detained at Angel Island’s Fort McDowell before transfer to other camps. As a former director of Community Resources for the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and a forty-year veteran in genealogical research, Din offers deep knowledge of the immigration hub and its overlooked role as a World War II detention center.

This program is presented in partnership with the Nikkei Genealogical Society.
 

Bios

Grant Din

Grant Din

Grant Din is an expert in genealogical and historical research. His research spans the US, China, and Japan. He has led workshops and published articles in genealogical and historical publications, and serves on the California Genealogical Society board. He holds degrees from Yale, Claremont Graduate University, and a genealogical research certificate from Boston University. 

Din has shared on Discover Nikkei some of the stories of the 700+ Americans of Japanese descent who were arrested by the FBI in Hawaii and the West Coast after Pearl Harbor and spent some time on Angel Island.

Read the Stories

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