In A Most Unlikely Hero, Capt. Yamashita refers to historical events that shaped his life and his decisions first to enter the Marine Corps and then to challenge the injustice he found within it.

He admits to his ignorance of civil rights issues, particularly of those surrounding the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. He pays tribute to the legacy of generations past, particularly the immigrants like his grandfather who helped build the United States a century ago. And he cites the legacy of his parents' generation, particularly the valor of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Batallion, the most decorated combat units of their size in history.

These three episodes of history are rich and deep with lessons for today. Here are some selected websites that offer a fresh look at these issues and events:

National Japanese American Memorial Foundation
http://www.njamf.com/welcome.htm
This site offers a wealth of information on the history of Japanese Americans. The Memorial in Washington, D.C. was dedicated on November 9, 2000, to honor the loyalty and courage of Japanese Americans during World War II, commemorating not only the heroism and sacrifice of Japanese Americans who fought and died for their country. It also tells the story of 120-thousand brave men, women and children who, despite the abridgement of their civil rights and even relocation to desolate camps, maintained their loyalty and supported their nation on the home front.

http://www.njamf.com/history.htm The history of those of Japanese ancestry in America is that of a continuing struggle to attain the "American Dream," so often realized by others. This section presents an overview of the Japanese American experience from the mid 1800s to the present.

http://www.njamf.com/dark.htm  This section of the site summarizes the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

http://www.njamf.com/hero.htm On this page, the origins and the achievements of the legendary Japanese American military units, including the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Batallion, are outlined.

Smithsonian Institution: A More Perfect Union
http://americanhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/experience/index.html
This exhibit explores the period of World War II when racial prejudice and fear upset the delicate balance between the rights of the citizen and the power of the state. It tells the story of Japanese Americans who suffered a great injustice at the hands of the government, and who have struggled ever since to insure the rights of all citizens guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Civil Liberties Public Education Fund (CLPEF)
http://www.momomedia.com/CLPEF/
The CLPEF mission, in essence, is to educate the public about the lessons to be learned from the internment. The CLPEF network is the online community of people and projects sponsored by the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund (CLPEF). This website is dedicated to providing information and resources to help educate the public on issues related to the wartime incarceration of Americans of Japanese ancestry.

For Educators

Curriculum Guides (K-12)
http://bss.sfsu.edu/internment/
This web site was developed by San Francisco State University and provides lesson plans and related materials for use by teachers in Grades K-12 on the internment and related issues.

Japanese American Citizens League-Curriculum Guide
on the Internment
http://www.jacl.org/ed/curguide.html
The curriculum guide is a comprehensive tool assembled by the JACL to help educators teach about the Internment Camp experience of Japanese Americans during World War II. The contents include material for elementary through high school students and also has a complete listing for other resources.

Documentary Films

Conscience and the Constitution
http://www.pbs.org/itvs/conscience/
In World War II, a handful of young Americans refused to be drafted from an American concentration camp. They were ready to fight for their country, but not before the government restored their rights as U.S. citizens and released their families from camp. It was a classic example of civil disobedience -- but the government prosecuted them as criminals and Japanese American leaders and veterans ostracized them as traitors. CONSCIENCE AND THE CONSTITUTION delves into the heart of the Japanese American conscience and a controversy that continues today. Experience the choice faced by any group when confronted by mass injustice -- whether to comply or to resist.
Also see the companion website: http://www.resisters.com/

Of Civil Wrongs and Rights
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/ofcivilwrongsandrights/
Fred Korematsu was probably never more American than when he resisted, and then challenged in court, the forced internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Korematsu lost his landmark Supreme Court case in 1944, but never his indignation and resolve. OF CIVIL WRONGS AND RIGHTS is the untold history of the 40-year legal fight to vindicate Korematsu--one that finally turned a civil injustice into a civil rights victory.

(The Korematsu case is the one Bruce refers to in telling of his experience in a class at Georgetown University Law Center--an experience that forced him to begin confronting the realities of race, injustice, and discrimination.)

Rabbit in the Moon
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov1999/rabbitinthemoon/index.html
The website to the film RABBIT IN THE MOON, a documentary which delves into the buried history of political tensions, social and generational divisions and resistance in the Japanese American internment camps. In this program, acclaimed filmmaker Emiko Omori asks her older sister and other detainees to reflect on the personal and political consequences of internment. The website features comments from internees on subjects ranging from the loyalty questionnaire to the political divisions within their communities during World War II, a listing of books, websites and videos to help viewers further explore the issues.