October 17, 2015 — January 17, 2016
In this traveling exhibition, historic images shot in 1942 by War Relocation Authority staff photographers Dorothea Lange, Tom Parker, and others are juxtaposed with contemporary images of the same individuals or their descendants taken by Sacramento Bee photojournalist Paul Kitagaki, Jr. His project is a visual exploration of the Japanese concept of gambatte, or triumph over adversity, and uncovers ways in which multiple generations of Japanese Americans persevered through their incarceration during World War II.
This exhibit was brought to the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center thanks to the Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee and the Contra Costa Japanese American Citizens League. Additional support has been provided by a grant from the US Department of the Interior, National Parks Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program.
Read more on the Densho blog: Photography, Family History, and the Search for Missing Incarcerees, Q&A with Paul Kitagaki, Jr.