Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC) today announced that the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i (JCCH) will host the traveling exhibition “Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of the Japanese American WWII Experience” from November 11-December 9, 2017, in Honolulu.
The national exhibit chronicles the story of the Japanese American experience during World War II, and features local stories of bravery and extraordinary support of Japanese Americans from communities across the country. The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i will bring to life Hawaii’s unique role during WWII, and share little-known stories of integrity, conscience and community that helped Japanese Americans during and after the war.
“Courage and Compassion” covers the events from the attack on Pearl Harbor through the creation of the 100th Infantry Battalion, wartime incarceration, postwar resettlement and the changing socio-economic culture of Hawaii. The interactive exhibit features images and audio of firsthand accounts, including interviews of Japanese American soldiers from GFBNEC’s Hanashi Oral History Collection.
“For nearly 150 years, Hawaii has played a major role in defining the Japanese American experience, and we’re excited to share this compelling story with audiences nationwide,” Dr. Mitchell T. Maki, GFBNEC’s president and CEO, said. “The Hawaii story is integrated into each component of our exhibition — from the troubled days following the Pearl Harbor attack to the unparalleled exploits of the 100th Infantry Battalion and beyond. Our exhibit honors the everyday people who rose above the public hysteria of WWII to recognize Japanese Americans as friends, neighbors and citizens.”
Carole Hayashino, president and executive director of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i, noted that Hawaii community leaders and authorities from diverse backgrounds stood against political pressure and public antagonism toward Japanese Americans in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. “By the 1940s, residents of Japanese ancestry made up more than 35 percent of Hawaii’s population,” Hayashino said. “We’re proud to share the stories of such notable people as Hung Wai Ching and military Governor Delos C. Emmons, who were instrumental in forming the Varsity Victory Volunteers and supporting the formation of the legendary 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team.”
Honolulu will be the second city on the national tour of “Courage and Compassion” following the exhibition’s July 2017 debut in Salem, Oregon at the Willamette Heritage Center. The exhibition is traveling to 10 U.S. communities whose residents extended a helping hand to Japanese Americans during and after the turbulent days of WWII. Future venues include Kingsburg, Calif.; Oberlin, Ohio; Rochester, Minn.; Minneapolis; Monterey, Calif.; Peoria, Ill.; Chicago; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“Courage and Compassion” will be open Monday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. General admission during regular operations is $10 for adults and $7 for youth, students and seniors. For additional information, please visit www.jcch.com.
“Courage and Compassion” is funded in part by a 2016 grant administered by the National Park Service (NPS). For additional information on exhibition dates and venues, please visit www.definingcourage.org, or contact GFBNEC at courageandcompassion@goforbroke.org or 310-328-0907.
Note to Media: “Go For Broke” was the motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Army unit composed of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland. The term was Hawaiian slang for “shooting the works,” or risking everything for the big win in gambling — as the Nisei soldiers did while fighting in the field in WWII and facing prejudice at home in the U.S.
About Go For Broke National Education Center
Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that educates the public on the valor of Japanese American veterans of World War II and their contributions to democracy. Our goal is to inspire new generations to embody the Nisei veterans’ core values of courage, sacrifice, equality, humility and patriotism. Founded in 1989, GFBNEC maintains the Go For Broke Monument and the interactive “GFBNEC’s Defining Courage Exhibition” in downtown Los Angeles, as well as extensive oral histories and archives, education and training programs, and other initiatives. For more information, please visit https://www.goforbroke.org.
About Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i
The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i, a nonprofit organization, strives to strengthen our diverse community by educating present and future generations in the evolving Japanese American experience in Hawai‘i. Founded on May 28, 1987, the Cultural Center has nearly 5,000 members and annually connects to more than 50,000 residents and visitors through its programs and events. The Cultural Center features the Okage Sama De historical museum, the Ellison Onizuka Remembrance Collection, the Honouliuli National Monument – JCCH Education Center, the Tokioka Heritage Resource Center, the Kenshikan martial arts dōjō, the Seikōan Japanese teahouse, and a Gift Shop. For more information call 808-945-7633, email info@jcch.com or visit the website at www.jcch.com.
About the NPS JACS Program
This project is funded, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Site Grant Program. For more information regarding the JCAS grant program, please contact Kara Miyagishima, Program Manager, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program, NPS, at 303-969-2885.