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Uprooted

An introductory video playing on a wall at the beginning of the Uprooted exhibit.

Bridging the past and the present, Uprooted explores the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans and efforts to prevent similar civil rights violations.

 

An immersive experience exploring citizenship, constitutionality & redress

Two handheld fans, one with an advertisement for the M. Kambara shoe store, the other has a drawing of people at a beach.

Sharing the lessons of Japanese American WWII incarceration with artifacts from survivors & interactive elements

Exhibit Artifacts

Six identification tags used during incarceration.

Identification tags

A painting of a barracks and guard tower in a snow covered field.

Watercolor made in camp

A rectangular trunk with family photos and papers.

Belongings left behind

A pin painted to be flowers with a bow.

Pin made from shells

Wooden drawers with wooden birds and wood working materials.

Carving kit

UPROOTED:
An American Story

Reopened in 2023, this fully rebuilt, technology-enhanced signature exhibit focuses on the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. It explores how they responded to their forced removal and incarceration, ranging from quiet endurance to heroic valor to conscientious resistance. The exhibit also highlights Japanese Americans’ ongoing efforts to ensure no other groups experience similar civil rights violations.

Interactive displays and unique artifacts donated by incarceration survivors supplement visitor favorites from the previous installation including a video introduction by George Takei and a replica barracks and guard tower. Features added in 2023 include a theater experience and an interactive display that allows visitors to hold virtual conversations with three survivors by using AI to match visitor questions with answers drawn from a bank of responses recorded in their own words.

A US Military order that reads Instructions To All Persons Of Japanese Ancestry Living In The Following Area.

Posted Japanese American exclusion order

Japanese school children with hands over their hearts.

Flag pledge ceremony at Raphael Weill Public School in San Francisco’s “Little Tokyo” weeks before forced removal

Two Japanese American children stand in between rows of barracks with a mountain in the background.

Heart Mountain incarceration camp

A grave injustice was done … motivated by prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.
Civil Liberties Act of 1988
We came back to nothing, or we had nothing to come back to.
Kiyo Sato
Poston; U.S. Air Force, Korea
We have a legitimate right to say, ‘No, we will not serve the country until we are given our freedom.’
Lawson Sakai
442nd Regimental Combat Team; on the stance of men who declined to serve in the military
A museum docent leads a school tour.
Time of Remembrance Programs
Experience life in a recreated WWII camp on a specialized field trip tour of the exhibit led by a formerly incarcerated docent.
A video plays in a small theater.
Oral Histories
Preview the exhibit’s oral history kiosks documenting the personal stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII.
A drawing of a paper crane.
Origami Crane
Learn how to fold an origami crane.
The California Museum's Anthem award sculpture.
2024 Anthem Award-Winner

Uprooted was recognized with a bronze Anthem Award in the category of special projects created to raise awareness for an education, art, & culture cause.

Learn more about the award here.