NATIONAL JAPANESE AMERICAN CITIZENS LEAGUE, OLDEST ASIAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION, DONATES ARCHIVES TO JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

LOS ANGELES—The National Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights and human rights organization in the country, announced that its National Board voted to donate its archives to the Japanese American National Museum, whose collection of material culture documenting the Japanese American experience is the largest in the world.

The JACL was founded in 1929, partly in response to anti-Japanese sentiment in America. At various times in the next 70 years, it lobbied Congress to either repeal discriminatory laws or to pass bills to correct historic wrongs. For example, the JACL led efforts to pass the McCarran-Walter Act in 1952, which finally allowed immigrants from Asia to become naturalized U.S. citizens. In the 1980s, the JACL was among several groups that advocated for redress for Japanese Americans for their unlawful incarceration during World War II. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 provided an official apology and individual reparations for eligible recipients.

The Japanese American National Museum’s mission is to promote understanding and appreciation for America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by preserving and telling the story of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Founded in 1985, the National Museum opened the doors to its Historic Building in 1992 and completed a $45 million project by opening its 85,000-square-foot Pavilion in 1999.

“The Japanese American National Museum is gratified that the Japanese American Citizens League has chosen our institution to care for its historic archives,” observed George Takei, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the National Museum. “We believe that the National Museum is the best place not only for the preservation of this invaluable collection, but for providing future access to this segment of American history. For 70 years, the JACL has been at the forefront in fighting for the civil rights of Japanese Americans and others. That history needs to be told.”

The National JACL had discussions with other institutions before choosing the National Museum as the repository for its archives. John Y. Tateishi, National Executive Director of the JACL, said that Japanese American National Museum was the ideal choice.

“The Japanese American National Museum has the largest collection of historic materials relating to the experiences of Americans of Japanese ancestry,” Tateishi revealed. “It has a world-class facility, including a state-of-the-art collections space and a national resource center for accessing these materials. The National JACL Board agreed that the Japanese American National Museum was the best site for our archives and we are very happy to enter into this agreement.”

Besides official papers, memos and other archival materials, the JACL intends to provide materials related to its newspaper, the Pacific Citizen. The Pacific Citizen officially became the news organ for the JACL in 1932. Unlike most of the Japanese American vernaculars, the Pacific Citizen continued to publish during World War II when it moved its headquarters to Salt Lake City. Through the war-time Pacific Citizen, stories about life for U.S. Nikkei in government-run concentration camps as well as the contributions of Japanese American soldiers are well-documented. After the war, it has reported on relevant issues to the Nikkei community and continues to chronicle them today.

Irene Y. Hirano, Executive Director and President of the National Museum, noted that the addition of the JACL’s archives complements a comprehensive list of historic resources already in the institution’s collections. “We are gratified that the Japanese American Citizens League has entrusted their archives, which chronicles their civil rights work over seven decades, to the National Museum,” Hirano said. “Earlier, the National Museum entered into a similar agreement with the Buddhist Churches of America to house their archives. It is clear that these collections are two of the most historically significant archives in documenting the history of Japanese Americans.”

Hirano added that the recent establishment of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy within the Japanese American National Museum makes the JACL collection even more significant. “Given the civil rights work of the JACL, it is clear that the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy will now have access to comprehensive information about specific issues of democracy as they relate to Japanese Americans.”

The National Museum announced that an archivist would begin to catalogue the JACL collection as soon as it can be transferred from the organization's national headquarters in San Francisco and the Pacific Citizen offices. Materials will continue to be added to the archives in the future ensuring that a comprehensive record can be maintained. The subsequent phases of work will include transfer of materials at the five regional JACL offices, working with the individual chapters and their historic archives and the interview of prominent organizational leaders to provide as complete a collection as possible.

Concluded Tateishi, “The Japanese American Citizens League has been associated with the Japanese American National Museum for many years. The donation of our archives is the beginning of what we believe will be the latest chapter in a long and fruitful partnership with the National Museum.”

For more information, please contact the Japanese American National Museum at (213) 625-0414.

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