WORKSHOPS

"An American Story" Teacher Training Workshop Comments from teachers who have attended the workshop: "This was an excellent, eye-opening learning experience. The personal accounts and stories added such depth and dimension to the historical and factual information. It is the personal experiences that give life to this powerful lesson in our history." "Racism is alive and well in America today. This workshop demonstrates how humility, unity, patience, and education can overcome social prejudice." "An American Story" Teacher Training Workshop provides K-12 teachers with the knowledge and resources to accurately teach the Japanese American experience, as mandated in the California History-Social Science Framework. The civil liberties and constitutional issues are presented through the experiences of the young Nisei during WWII, including the forced incarceration of over 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry into concentration camps. Being the largest single forced imprisonment in American history, the incarceration raises fundamental issues of civil, human, and constitutional rights, as well as racial discrimination. The workshop attendees will explore the following topics: Overview of Japanese American history The Incarceration (Internment) of Japanese Americans during World War II Highlights of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service Civil Liberties Act of 1988 that granted a formal apology and financial redress to incarcerated Japanese Americans Primary-source materials Service learning opportunities related to this curriculum Teacher's guide and video Web-based teaching materials on the Go For Broke Educational Foundation website On-site interpretive experiences at the Monument, Japanese American National Museum, and National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Little Tokyo are available for some workshops The workshop enables teachers to understand the importance of civil liberties by learning about the indignities and constitutional infringement sustained by the Japanese Americans. More workshops are currently being scheduled in areas around Southern California. Please contact us for more details, or to inquire about opportunities to set up a workshop near you. We look forward to hearing from you! Contact Gisela Shimabukuro, Program Manager, with your questions by email (teachertraining@goforbroke.org), or by phone to (310) 222-5704.