National Japanese American Memorial Foundation

02/19/2026

02/19/2026

On this Day of Remembrance, we honor the 120,000 Japanese Americans whose lives were upended by Executive Order 9066, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942. Uprooted from their homes and forced to abandon the lives they had built, families were incarcerated in remote camps across the United States.

In “Coyotes Came Out of the Desert,” Matsusaburo George Hibi reflects on the stark desert landscapes surrounding the Topaz Incarceration Camp in Central Utah.
An inscription on the back of the canvas reads:

"It was a hard winter in Topaz; the snow [lay] deep. Big [coyotes] came out of the desert right up to the camps, and no one dared to go out of the doors."

Through his art, Hibi bore witness to what it meant to be imprisoned simply for having the “face of the enemy.” Today, we remember not only the injustice but also the strength, creativity, and dignity that endured behind barbed wire.

On view

Matsusaburo George Hibi, Coyotes Came Out of the Desert, 1945, oil on canvas, 26 15/16 × 23 × 1 1/2 in. (68.4 × 58.4 × 3.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 2023.5, © 2024, Ibuki Hibi Lee

02/19/2026

01/19/2026

Join us for a special Freedom Walk this year on March 28 at 9:00am! We are honored to have Tak Furumoto as the keynote speaker. In celebration of the Memorial’s 25th Anniversary and remembrance of its purpose, we look forward to hosting this incredible event!

11/21/2025

The Memorial is proud to host a special tour discussing the legal history of Japanese American incarceration on December 6 at 10:30am. Please register using the link in our bio

11/08/2025

Join us on 11/11 to celebrate Veterans Day & the Memorial’s 25th Anniversary!

08/17/2025

An awesome tour with a group of Japanese students hosted by GW University! A special thank you to our Board Member Mark for using his Japanese skills

08/05/2025

The Japanese American Leadership
Delegation (JALD) brings experienced leaders to Japan to engage in and strengthen US-Japan relations.

Applications for the 2026 delegation must be received by August 31st!

Apply using the link in the bio!

06/10/2025

We know all too well what could happen when the federal government targets marginalized groups to spread fear and division. We must stand in solidarity now -- so the injustices of the past are not repeated.

02/28/2025

Join us on March 29 for this year’s Cherry Blossom Freedom Walk! 🌸

02/09/2025

We are aware of the recent 503 error affecting the National Park Service’s webpage for the Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism, which was caused by a technical issue. We appreciate the NPS’s efforts to restore access and prevent future disruptions, ensuring that this important history remains available to all.

Access to information about the memorial online is vital for sharing the stories of courage, resilience, and patriotism demonstrated by Japanese Americans during one of the most challenging periods in U.S. history. It is essential that these stories remain accessible to educators, students, and the public at large.

We will continue to collaborate with the National Park Service to ensure the memorial’s digital presence remains available and that the important history it represents continues to inspire and educate future generations.

02/01/2025

We are aware that the National Park Service webpage for the Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II (https://www.nps.gov/places/japanese-american-memorial-to-patriotism-during-world-war-ii.htm) was temporarily unavailable earlier today. The page is now back online. We are collaborating with our partners at the NPS to determine the cause of the outage and to ensure consistent access moving forward.