What’s the best resource for this topic? This has been ignored in every history class I had in high school and college. I want to know how bad it really was. I’ve read up on treatment of POWs in Japan and it lead me to ask this question. In addition to resources please feel free to share any specific historical facts you think are interesting. TIA
If you're looking for a documentation of experiences, I definitely suggest looking Densho up. Their nonprofit began by JA's as a means to document the experiences of the aging Issei (first generation) and Nisei (second generation) population who experienced internment. It expanded itself and now also has an encyclopedia that explains terminology in relation to Japanese Americans and Japanese Internment and learning center for education.
If you're looking for a civil rights group, then I would suggest getting in contact or learning more about the Japanese American Citizens League. I was active in one of the East Coast chapters and they definitely also have a plethora of knowledge and a large chunk of members whose families were incarcerated during WWII and have contacts in other groups and organizations that focus on Japanese Internment. If you want primary sources or want to be involved in the community, they are a good organization to understand and learn more about. Their history is also quite interesting because JACL didn't actually put up a fight during the incarceration period. However, they were involved in the redress movement of the 80's.
A history not well known, are the experiences of Japanese in Hawaii who were interned. I suggest looking through The Untold Story by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, they also have a plethora of information that JACL may not have and that Densho may have limited information on.
Which also brings me to the Fred Korematsu Institute! Korematsu's daughter, Karen began it as a means to share her father's legacy. Korematsu was a civil rights activist involved in the Korematsu v. United States case that made it the supreme court and that was based on if it was constitutional or not to send JA's to internment camps under EX 9066. There was
I would also suggest reading any articles on Discover Nikkei. Discover Nikkei doesn't actually focus on Japanese Internment specifically but focuses on the larger Japanese diaspora population and personal articles and experiences relating to this identity. It does also have quite a bit of articles in relation to Japanese Internment.
Now! If you're looking for books in relation about Japanese Internment,
Hope this helps!