JAN Museum

[Midori Sanchez]

I have been to JANM several times, and love that each time there are core parts to the exhibit and there are also different things that I have "missed" each time.

A quote that stood out to me was by David Mas Masumoto: Culture binds us, gives us meaning and provides us with foundation... it surrounds, entangles and supports our daily life, a matter of learning "what it is we have to know" to belong within a family and community.

The first unit I teach is about "What does it mean to be an American?" for school. We discuss that rather than America being a "melting pot" that it is more like a "quilt" (many pieces that are different that come together as one) and what struggles there are when coming to another country and making meaning of your new surrounding. This museum demonstrates that "the day that will live in infamy" affected those for generations to come; American citizens were forcibly removed and placed into concentration camps. My favorite part of the exhibit was seeing those that were not quiet during this period such as Mitsuye Endo and Godron Hirabayashi that went through the courts and even jail to seek justice for their loss of freedom and pursuit of happiness. It was great to see a woman alongside men featured in this section.

 

I believe that in my class, I would like to highlight heros from different time periods, countries, and also have female representation moreso than what is featured in the text though there are female writers in our main textbook used.