Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration Launch

Manzanar Ireitō (“Soul Consoling Tower”) built by incarcerees during World War II. Courtesy of the Shinjo Nagatomi Collection, Manzanar National Historic Site.

A digital render of a statue is made of gray shapes stacked on top of each other. A person, who appears to be less than half as tall as the statue, is shown for scale.

The USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture is creating a memorial to every individual of Japanese ancestry incarcerated during World War II in America’s concentration camps.

Irei Names 

The Irei Names Project is inspired by the Manzanar Ireitō or “Soul Consoling Tower,” a monument built by people incarcerated at the Manzanar camp in Inyo County, California during WWII to honor those that would never return home from the camps. Photo: courtesy of the Shinjo Nagatomi Collection, Manzanar National Historic Site

In black and white, a line of Asian individuals of all ages stand in front of a pillar. In big black letters, three Japanese Kanji characters read "Soul Consoling Tower." A young child looks back towards the camera.

A Multimodal Memorial Remembers Japanese American WWII Incarceration

Artists as Catalysts

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Beyond Incarceration

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Civic Engagement

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Evolving Higher Education

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Expanding Public Knowledge

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Monuments and Memory

A multicolored painted totem pole set in front of a foggy forest landscape

Multivocality

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Power of the Word

Five colorful neon signs hang on the wall with messages that include, "Freedom cannot wait," "Brown owned," and "America is for Dreamers."

Public Places‚ Public Stories

A group of Indigenous Maskoke people stand and sit in the wooden frame of a structure in a woods

Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 

University Everywhere

Students walk through the campus of the University of Hawaii

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History

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