Haruka met Henry Kaku, a descendant of the camps, while developing The Camps America Built project. Henry’s story inspired Loyal American, a short film made in partnership with the National Geographic Society Impact Story Lab, that explores the history of Japanese American concentration camps through Henry’s father’s imprisonment. Eighty years later, Henry retraces his father’s footsteps to confront the question: What does it mean to be a Loyal American?
Bring the story of Henry’s family, and many more, to your classroom.
For decades, Japanese American families have been making “pilgrimages” to their former camps to reflect on this dark chapter in U.S. history. Plan your visit through these pilgrimage committees and organizations:
Amache: Amache Alliance
Gila River: This site is not offering organized annual pilgrimages at this time.
Heart Mountain: Heart Mountain Interpretive Center
Jerome & Rohwer: Jerome & Rohwer Pilgrimage
Manzanar: Manzanar Committee
Minidoka: Minidoka Pilgrimage
Poston: Poston Preservation
Topaz: JAMP Pilgrimage to Topaz
Tule Lake: Tule Lake Committee
By donating to the above camp-specific organizations or Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages, you help sustain the ongoing tradition of pilgrimages to the former camps, making it possible for families like Henry’s to find healing and closure.
