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A Principled Stand: The Story of Hirabayashi v.United States was selected for the upcoming JAMsj Book Club meeting when it meets November 2, 1:00 p.m., at the museum.   This book is a collection of memoirs by Gordon K. Hirabayashi, James Hirabayashi, and Lane Ryo Hirabayashi.

Gordon Hirabayashi was convicted of violating a curfew at the outbreak of WWII. Because he stood firm, his appeal of this conviction reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The rest of Hirabayashi's story promises a lively discussion at the book club meeting.

For the first time, the events of the case are told in Hirabayashi's own words. The result is a compelling and intimate story that reveals what motivated him, how he endured, and how his ideals deepened as he fought discrimination and defended his beliefs.

"I never look at my case as just my own or just as a Japanese American case. It is an American case, fraught with principles that affect the fundamental human rights of all Americans," states Hirabayashi.

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Ken Kokka, Filmmaker

George Kiriyama, NBC Bay Area reporter

Blossoms and Thorns is a short documentary featuring Ruby Adachi Hiramoto, Flora Ninomiya, and Tom Oishi, all members of the Japanese American flower-growing community in Richmond, California. Uprooted by the federal government and forcibly removed from their homes and businesses, these growers spent the duration of WWII in barren desert internment camps. Through personal interviews, they recount the struggle, dismay, and resiliency of the families who returned to the floral industry and the changing Richmond neighborhood.

Their stories are all too familiar to Japanese Americans. Special guests Kariya and Nakano will share their own family stories with the audience, from starting the family business to the injustice and impact of WWII and to their post-war struggle and eventual success in rebuilding the family business.

Cost:  Free with admission to the museum (non-members, $5; students and seniors over age 65, $3; JAMsj members and children under 12, free). 

 Please contact PublicPrograms@jamsj.org or call (408) 294-3138 to reserve a spot.   

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From 1941 to 1948, more than 2,200 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry were abducted and forcibly deported from 13 Latin American countries and interned in U.S. Department of Justice camps or U.S. Army facilities. Many were used as hostages in two prisoner exchanges between the United States and Japan. Categorized as "illegal aliens," these Japanese Latin Americans (JLAs) were excluded from the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which granted an apology and a $20,000 compensation payment only to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents of Japanese ancestry.

Grace Shimizu

Art Shibayama

Art Shibayama's commitment to truth and justice is an

Please contact PublicPrograms@jamsj.org or call (408) 294-3138 to reserve a spot.