The Japanese American Internment Museum, also known as the WWII Japanese American Internment Museum and the Jerome-Rohwer Interpretive Museum & Visitor Center, is a history

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

McGehee, Arkansas McGehee is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,219 at the 2010 census. History The history of the city of McGehee and the history of the railroad through McGehee are intricately interwoven. The history of th ...

. The museum features exhibits regarding the area history of

Japanese American internment Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

in the 1940s when more than 17,000 Japanese Americans were housed at nearby

Rohwer War Relocation Center The Rohwer War Relocation Center was a World War II Japanese American concentration camp located in rural southeastern Arkansas, in Desha County. It was in operation from September 18, 1942, until November 30, 1945, and held as many as 8,475 Ja ...

and

Jerome War Relocation Center The Jerome War Relocation Center was a Japanese American internment camp located in southeastern Arkansas, near the town of Jerome in the Arkansas Delta. Open from October 6, 1942, until June 30, 1944, it was the last American concentration camp ...

during World War II. Exhibits include a film, oral histories, photographs, personal artifacts and some art made by internees, as well as changing art exhibitions. Visitors are encouraged to tour the remains of the Rohwer War Relocation Center, which is located about 17 miles away from the museum. The site includes a memorial, cemetery, interpretive panels and audio kiosks. The museum opened its doors on April 16, 2013, and is located in the south building of the historic McGehee Railroad Depot. It is one of several

Arkansas State University Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osa ...

Heritage Sites. The dedication ceremony for the museum featured the actor, activist, and former camp incarceree

George Takei George Takei (; ja, ジョージ・タケイ; born Hosato Takei (武井穂郷), April 20, 1937) is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS ''Enterprise'' in the televi ...

giving a speech; his narration is also featured on a number of the audio displays.

References

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Museum
- Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center Museums in Desha County, Arkansas Internment of Japanese Americans Museums of Japanese culture abroad in the United States Ethnic museums in Arkansas History museums in Arkansas World War II museums in the United States Museums established in 2013 2013 establishments in Arkansas Arkansas State University University museums in Arkansas {{Arkansas-museum-stub

See also

References

External links