Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center

The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center succeeds at it’s mission to convey how American the Japanese in Oregon are. For a small fee, visitors can learn about their history, with an emphasis placed on their internment during World War II. It is not that big of a museum, but the space is used very efficiently. Plenty of descriptions along with documents such as those announcing the order are placed before the patrons.
Going here was great. I had been meaning to do so for awhile. They provide things in a rich context, connecting with visitors. Both the general history and anecdotes add to the context. It was a great half an hour or so of my time.
Increase your well of history to draw from.

Every year I visit this little gem to learn about history of Japan Town and heroes of WW2. Staff is warm and welcoming, and I’ve completed my internship here while I was in community college. Now for my job touring students from Japan I bring them over to give insight of lives led by Japanese living abroad back in the day.
Facility is always well organized and clean, and have different display and events updated regularly on their website. As a Japanese American I learned about Japan town and it helped me reconnect with my culture.

Great museum, wish I had more time to spend there!

When I go through places like this, I get tear up and I get mad. And it’s a good thing to never forget.
The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center is dedicated to the preservation and sharing of the history and culture of the Japanese American Community in the greater Portland Area. I stopped by yesterday to see the exhibits about life in the Japanese Internment Camps from the perspective of the American Citizens who were sent there. I have previously visited Manzanar and this whole shameful part of US History never ceases to effect me.
On this visit I learned that:
— Thousands of Japanese American men were taken into custody by the FBI and Department of Justice within hours after the Pearl Harbor bombing. This was a little known prelude to the internments that would follow. They were sent to secret «black sites» in remote areas for «questioning». Sound familiar?
— During the internment stage, many folks were first sent to a camp somewhere in North Portland and were later shipped out to Minidoka Idaho for the balance of the war. Besides Manazanar, there were also camps in Tule Lake California and Topaz Utah among other places.
Museum hours are a bit limited and a modest donation at the door is requested. They also have a small bookshop and lots of pictures, living arrangement recreations, and history to share. And when I was done, a short walk over to the Japanese Memorial at nearby Waterfront Park was a nice coda to a very worthwhile and humbling experience.

Stumbled upon the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center while on a trip to Portland. There is a museum with history of the Japanese Americans, with particular emphasis in the Northwest. Great displays of life in the Japanese American Internment Camps. There was also a special exhibit on textiles, which was really interesting. The volunteer was really friendly and I enjoyed talking with her. Great place to check out!