Final few days! Catch it by September 15!
Can you imagine someone taking your home, all of your possessions, and your freedom? In 1942, the Canadian government uprooted 21,460 Japanese Canadians from British Columbia’s coast. They boarded trains, bringing only what they could carry. Officials promised to protect the belongings they left behind. Instead, Japanese Canadians were dispossessed: everything was stolen or sold. Together, researchers and community members have sought to understand this history. Broken Promises explores the dispossession and internment of Japanese Canadians in this traveling exhibit from the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre.
This thought-provoking look at a moment in Canada’s past illuminates the loss of home and the struggle for justice of one racially marginalized community. The story follows seven Japanese Canadians, one of them from Salt Spring Island. Learn about life for Japanese Canadians in Canada before war, the administration of their lives during and after the war’s end, and how legacies of dispossession continue to this day. The Cowichan Valley was home to many Japanese Canadians and their stories add local history to this powerful exhibit. You don’t want to miss this one!