JANM CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER 2022 NEH WORKSHOPS

LOS ANGELES - The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) is currently accepting applications for Landmarks of American History and Culture educator workshops funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Postponed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, JANM looks forward to welcoming educators in the summer of 2022. 

NEH’s Landmarks of American History and Culture program gives K-12 educators the opportunity to engage with projects that situate the study of topics and themes in K-12 humanities within sites, areas, or regions of historic and cultural significance. Each Landmarks of American History and Culture program is offered twice in one summer and accommodates 36 educators in each one-week session. 

JANM’s workshops, Little Tokyo: How History Shapes a Community Across Generations will examine history through the neighborhood of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. This week-long workshop will be offered twice: July 17-22 and July 24-29, 2022. JANM seeks a group of educators from across the country who can significantly contribute to the diversity and dissemination of the workshop. 

Each participant will receive a $1,300 stipend after completing the workshop. This stipend is intended to help compensate participants for their time commitment and to defray the costs of participation in the workshop which may include expenses such as travel, housing, and meals.

JANM, which is located in the Little Tokyo Historic District in downtown Los Angeles, will take advantage of its neighborhood’s storied past by presenting Japanese American history through the lens of the Little Tokyo community. The workshops will examine how this community’s unique experiences remain relevant to present-day issues of identity and preservation. 

During the weeklong course, educators will be joined by scholars, educators, curators, and community historians to learn about history through the Little Tokyo story. With a focus especially, but not exclusively, on the Japanese American experience, the workshops will cover the earliest immigration in the 1880s, the establishment of the community, the forced removal and mass incarceration during World War II, the Bronzeville era when African Americans settled in the area during the war, postwar resettlement and the ongoing fight to preserve the neighborhood against the forces of redevelopment and gentrification. Participants will explore teaching using the JANM collection and will learn about multiple rich resources available to support their teaching of this history.

The Little Tokyo: How History Shapes a Community Across Generations workshop has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this workshop, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  

“On behalf of the Japanese American National Museum, I want to thank the National Endowment for the Humanities for providing the necessary funding for our teachers’ workshops,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM President and CEO. “Educators  are essential partners in helping us achieve our mission which is to foster understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. That experience is embodied by our Little Tokyo community and we are confident that our participating educators will gain greater insight through their stay here.”

The workshops will be held in the former Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple building. Constructed in 1925 and renovated in 1992 as JANM’s first headquarters, the Historic Building is considered the largest artifact in the Museum’s Collection. The temple was a religious and community center before and after World War II. In 1995, the heart of Little Tokyo was protected as the Little Tokyo Historic District National Historic Landmark. The preserved District runs two blocks along the north side of First Street, anchored at one end by the Union Church and the other end by the temple.  

Applications are being accepted online until March 1, 2022. To apply, please visit the project’s website at: janm.org/nehlandmarks2022. 

Established in 1985, JANM 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 in 1992, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite while traveling 17 exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America. For more information, visit janm.org or follow us on social media @jamuseum.

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