JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM STATEMENT ON THE FORCIBLE SEPARATION OF MIGRANT CHILDREN FROM THEIR PARENTS

Los Angeles, CA—The Japanese American National Museum cannot be silent in the face of the administration’s cruel and inhumane policy that forcibly separates children from their parents as they seek entry into the United States. We also cannot remain silent as the administration readies the construction of prison camps to incarcerate these children, especially not on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, through which the United States government apologized for and paid reparations to the thousands of individuals of Japanese ancestry—men, women, and children—who were unlawfully incarcerated during World War II.

The building of prison camps where minors would be forcibly detained away from their families is reprehensible and recalls not only the WWII incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry but also the forced separation of Native American children from their parents that started in the late 19th century when they were sent to government- or church-run boarding schools.

“It fails any measure of decency that the government of the United States has taken such a reprehensible stance toward children who have been brought to this great nation in hopes of improving their lives,” said Ann Burroughs, President and CEO of JANM. “This museum exists to ensure that no other group is rounded up and forced to endure what people of Japanese ancestry had to endure during World War II. Here we see it happening again, to the most vulnerable among us. This policy, left unchecked, will be a lasting shame to this country. We cannot stand by silently in the face of what history will surely judge as a crime against humanity.”

About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, the Japanese American National Museum promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories and strives to provide a voice for Japanese Americans as well as a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public, JANM has presented over 80 exhibitions onsite and traveled 20 of its exhibitions to locations around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America.

JANM is located at 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. General admission is $12 adults, $6 students and seniors, free for members and children under age five. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from noon to 8 p.m. General admission prices and free admission times may not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. Closed Monday, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information visit janm.org or call 213.625.0414.