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When Africans were brought to American shores in chains, they brought pieces of Africa with them and used their traditions, music and culture to help them survive.

In this poem, Smith recounts her experience at a Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters’ show and the love she, and every other audience member, was shown.

Mary Jenkins describes growing up in the Jim Crow era and frequently being told, “You can’t”—both by a mother terrified of what might happen to her daughter if she stepped out of her expected place, and by a system that had institutionalized segregation as a way of life.

“Tosh Yasutake’s father was arrested by the FBI after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and held in internment camps administered by the Department of Justice. The rest of the family was incarcerated in the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Tosh volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team while still in camp. In this clip, he talks about making that decision.”

“Masao Watanabe grew up in Seattle, Washington, and during the war was initially sent to the 'assembly center' at the fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington. In this video clip, he talks about his initial reactions upon arrival.”

“Akiko Kurose grew up in Seattle, Washington. In this clip, she talks about how she felt when she heard that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor.”

This video clip addresses reactions from Japanese Americans to the 8 p.m. curfew, forced imprisonment in internment camps, and creation of the 422nd Regimental Combat Team.

“While in the Mindoka concentration camp, Idaho, during World War II, Frank Yamasaki refused his draft order. As a result, he was imprisoned at the McNeil Island Penitentiary, Washington.”

This excerpt from Barracoon, which provides a first-person account from the last living man transported from Africa to America as an enslaved person. The excerpt shows Zora Neal Hurston arriving at Cudjo Lewis’ house to speak with him about his past in only the way he can.