Matsui Introduces the Japanese American Confinement Education Act

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation on October 21, 2020 to permanently reauthorize the Japanese American Confinement Site (JACS) program to preserve and educate Americans on the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. 

“The imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II will forever be one of the most atrocious violations of American civil rights in the 20th century. Those of us in the Japanese American community know too well what discrimination feels like, what kind of mark it leaves, and most importantly, what we can do to stop it,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “The Japanese American story is one that is not told nearly enough. It is one of pain, one of redemption, and one of enrichment. This bill will ensure that these lessons live into the future – that we continue bending the moral arc of this country by sharing these stories, lifting our voices, and fighting so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. The essence of the American experience isn’t that we’re perfect, it is that we heal from seeing where we’ve been and teach our younger generations to build a more inclusive, equitable future.”

The Japanese American Confinement Education Act would permanently reauthorize the Japanese American Confinement Site (JACS) program within the National Park Service (NPS), which is currently set to expire in 2022. This program has been one of the primary resources in the preservation and interpretation of the U.S. Confinement Sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. Additionally, the legislation establishes a separate, new 5 year, $2 million per year competitive grant to create educational materials about the Japanese American confinement. This grant would require the recipient museum to develop and nationally disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to improve awareness and understanding of Japanese American Confinement in WWII. This new program would bring together many elements of the community and educators performing vital work in Japanese American history education under a more cohesive and powerful effort to ensure that the experience of Japanese American incarceration is taught nationally to as many students as possible.

Friends of Minidoka and our partner organizations rely on the JACS program to support our important work, and we will need your help asking Congress to support the Japanese American Confinement Education Act! Stay tuned to our digital newsletter for specific ways to help support this legislation.