Collection: Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps

Explore the experiences of Japanese American youth confronting the injustices of being imprisoned in World War II concentration camps and embarking on the universal journey into adolescence.

Photographs, personal stories, and artifacts reveal the strength and ingenuity of young Americans who came of age in the War Relocation Authority camps and the Crystal City Department of Justice internment camp. From volunteer projects and camping trips to social dances, scout trips, and sports leagues, they drew upon their own resilience and creativity to forge friendships and community in the face of abrupt upheaval and wrongful imprisonment.

Learn more about the exhibition and related programs at janm.org/dont-fence-me-in.