Film, Teaching Guide Resettlement of Japanese Americans in Chicago

This collection of resources explores the resettlement of Japanese Americans in Chicago post-World War II. It includes a mix of short films, articles, and interactive experiences that highlight the challenges and resilience of the Japanese American community during and after their forced relocation. Topics covered include the formation of the Chicago Resettlers Committee, the experiences of resettlers in navigating racism and government policies, and the multigenerational impacts of incarceration.

Resettlement: Chicago Story (by Full Spectrum Education) is a short film and interactive web experience with glowing ‘hyperobjects’ and learning activities.
http://www.fullspectrum.education/resettlement

Resettlement in Chicago (2020) is an article written by Dr. Ellen Wu (author of the 2014 book The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority) which provides an overview of the movement of incarcerated West Coast Japanese Americans from concentration camps to Chicago and their experiences living in Chicago post-incarceration including navigating the city’s anti-Asian racism and resisting to comply with WRA wish for, “ethnic dispersal.” https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Resettlement_in_Chicago/

Resettled Roots: Legacies of Japanese Americans in Chicago (2019) is a short, 32-minute documentary film that explores the resettlement of Japanese Americans in the city of Chicago. By using archival oral histories from Nisei, Sansei and Yonsei, the goal of Resettled Roots is to share the many stories of the Japanese American community of the city of Chicago. https://vimeo.com/368186564/4ef92ecc5d

Uprooted (multimedia, 2021) is an interactive multimedia experience about the multigenerational effects of Japanese American incarceration during World War II — from the West Coast to Chicago. The three families featured were selected from more than 100 oral histories of other resilient individuals for the depth and range of their collective experiences. You can view a selection of other interviews with Chicago-area Japanese Americans here. This was written and produced by Katherine Nagasawa, overseen by the Japanese American Service Committee and the Chicago Japanese American Historical Society. https://uprooted.jasc-chicago.org/