FOX40: 48-Star Flag Gifting Ceremony at the California Museum

Rowena Shaddox, FOX40
May 17, 2025

The California Museum hosted a special 48-Star Flag Gifting Ceremony on May 17, 2025, recognizing the resilience and legacy of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II. This historic flag, signed by survivors of the incarceration camps and Nisei veterans, has traveled across the country as part of an effort to preserve and share their stories. The ceremony celebrated the donation of this meaningful artifact to the California Museum’s Uprooted: An American Story exhibit and paid tribute to those who endured injustice yet persevered in shaping American history.

About the 48-Star Flag Project
Judge Johnny Gogo has been traveling around the country inviting survivors of the WWII Japanese American concentration camps to sign 48-star flags. Prior flags have been donated to the Japanese American National Museum, the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, and the Korematsu Institute. At this event, he gifted flag #5 to the California Museum.

Rowena Shaddox with FOX40 spoke with Judge Johnny Gogo about the importance of the 48-Star Flag Project. Watch here.