Survival Stories, Photos Commemorate Dark Chapter in US History


In 1942, as American soldiers fought for freedom in World War II, the U.S government was taking it away from Japanese-Americans. More than 100,000 were sent to internment camps out of fear they would help the enemy.

One of the Japanese-Americans who survived that dark chapter in U.S. history now lives in suburban Northbrook, and this year, Minoru Imamura is remembering how his family’s life was shattered 75 years ago. Imamura is part of a project by the Chicago History Museum called “Facing Freedom.”

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The internment is also the subject of a new book of historic photographs by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams, called “Un-American: The Incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II” from Chicago’s CityFiles Press.

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An exhibition at Chicago’s Alphawood Gallery (2401 N. Halsted St.), opening Thursday, features photos from “Un-American” and more.

Note: This story originally aired on Chicago Tonight” on Jan. 23.


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