a young woman behind barbed wire

Current Exhibition

don't fence me in title stacked type in white

COMING OF AGE IN AMERICA’S CONCENTRATION CAMPS

Public Programming for Don’t Fence Me In will focus on immersing audiences into the experience of being a young person in US concentration camps during World War II and the challenges of coming of age in a challenging environment.

Programs are free for museum members and included with admission for visitors, unless otherwise noted.

To see a complete listing of the JANM’s programs, check out our Events Calendar.

March 04 - October 01, 2023

Japanese American National Museum

100 North Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps explores the experiences of Japanese American youth who asserted their place as young Americans confronting the injustice of being imprisoned in concentration camps during World War II and embarking on the universal journey into adolescence. 

During World War II, over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were unjustly incarcerated in American concentration camps—approximately one third were children. Through photographs, personal stories, and artifacts, Don’t Fence Me In reveals the strength and ingenuity of young Americans who came of age in the ten War Relocation Authority camps and the Crystal City Department of Justice internment camp. From volunteer projects and color guards at memorial services to camping trips, social dances, scout troops, and sports leagues, they drew upon their own resilience and creativity to forge friendships and community in the face of abrupt upheaval and wrongful imprisonment in their youth. 

For some, these activities were the continuation of their pre-war participation or became the foundation for a lifetime of dedication. For others, they were a brief experience that only lasted as long as their incarceration. But whether they were the most important thing or one of many things happening in their lives, their participation was an integral part of their unique wartime experience.

 

Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Parks Service, the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program, and the State of California, administered by the California State Library, with additional support from the California Community Foundation.

National Parks Service logo          California State Library logo

 Media Sponsor: The Rafu Shimpo

 

Fusako “Jonie” Aizawa stands by a barbed wire fence in an American concentration camp. Christmas 1944. Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Myrtle Joyce Barley Ward, (2003.12.14).

#GrowingUpInCamp

Past Events

yamashita family in front of their car
Lectures & Discussions Workshops & Classes

July 15, 2023

Intergenerational Workshop: Telling Our Family Stories
youth in camp at camp dance
Lectures & Discussions Special Events

June 17, 2023

From Barbed Wire to Boogie Woogie
sepia photo of a Girl Scouts troop in 3 rows. They are wearing their uniforms.
Special Events

March 12, 2023

Girl Scout Day
Heart Mountain Boy Scouts group photo
Film Screenings Lectures & Discussions

March 04, 2023

Raising the Flag: Coming of Age in WWII Concentration Camps
Boy Scouts in Rohwer concentration camp in Arkansas
Members Only Special Events

March 04, 2023

Members Preview: Don’t Fence Me In
5 young women in Heart Mountain concentration camp in Wyoming
Members Only Special Events

March 03, 2023

VIP Reception and Tour: Don’t Fence Me In

March 04 - October 01, 2023

Japanese American National Museum

100 North Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps explores the experiences of Japanese American youth who asserted their place as young Americans confronting the injustice of being imprisoned in concentration camps during World War II and embarking on the universal journey into adolescence. 

During World War II, over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were unjustly incarcerated in American concentration camps—approximately one third were children. Through photographs, personal stories, and artifacts, Don’t Fence Me In reveals the strength and ingenuity of young Americans who came of age in the ten War Relocation Authority camps and the Crystal City Department of Justice internment camp. From volunteer projects and color guards at memorial services to camping trips, social dances, scout troops, and sports leagues, they drew upon their own resilience and creativity to forge friendships and community in the face of abrupt upheaval and wrongful imprisonment in their youth. 

For some, these activities were the continuation of their pre-war participation or became the foundation for a lifetime of dedication. For others, they were a brief experience that only lasted as long as their incarceration. But whether they were the most important thing or one of many things happening in their lives, their participation was an integral part of their unique wartime experience.

 

Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps is sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Parks Service, the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program, and the State of California, administered by the California State Library, with additional support from the California Community Foundation.

National Parks Service logo          California State Library logo

 Media Sponsor: The Rafu Shimpo

 

Fusako “Jonie” Aizawa stands by a barbed wire fence in an American concentration camp. Christmas 1944. Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Myrtle Joyce Barley Ward, (2003.12.14).

#GrowingUpInCamp

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