Irei: National Monument for the WWII Japanese American Incarceration is a multi-faceted project to address the erasure of the identities of individuals of Japanese ancestry who experienced wartime incarceration and to expand the concept of what monument is through three distinct, interlinking elements: a sacred book of names as a monument (Ireichō), a website as a monument (Ireizō), and light sculptures as monuments (Ireihi).
The Ireichō contains the first comprehensive listing of over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated in the US Army, Department of Justice, Wartime Civil Control Administration, and War Relocation Authority camps. Embedded into the very materiality of the Ireichō are special ceramic pieces made from soil collected by the project from seventy-five former incarceration sites from Alaska to Hawai‘i, Arkansas to California, and from almost every other region of the United States.
The Ireizō lists those names online at ireizo.com. Visitors can search for the person’s name by name, birth year, or camp.
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The Trailblazing Career of Mary Louise Schmidt: How the 1936 House and Garden Exhibition Became a Launching Pad for Innovative Small Homes in Los Angeles and Reshaped the Built Environment of California In 1936, little-known housing advocate and shrewd businesswoman Mary Louise Schmidt organized what might be the most significant architecture show of the 20th century — right here in Los Angeles. This free self-guided Trail map and research report explores the exteriors of the still-standing homes featured at…
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ProQuest History Vault provides a wealth of key archival materials with a single search. Researchers can access digitized letters, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, financial records, diaries, and many more primary sources. Collections are organized into three modules: Slavery and the Law, Southern Life and African American History, 1775-1915, Plantation Records, Part 1 and Southern Life and African American History, 1775-1915, Plantation Records, Part 2.
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A collection of over 50 youtube videos ranging from Chicago House music through the Rodney King riots to an interview with RuPaul.
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Numerous African American-related events have taken place at the Mark Taper Auditorium as part of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles’ ALOUD series. Explore those conversations online.
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The History Makers Digital Archive is an easy-to-use online database of thousands of African American interviews from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. This resource provides high-quality video content, fully searchable transcripts, and unique content from individuals whose life stories would have been lost were it not for the History Makers.
