1939-1952

Lesson 4: LEGACIES OF DISPOSSESSION

Landscapes of Injustice tells a story of the loss of home. It is about fear, racism, and measures taken in the name of security that made no one safer. It is also about the resilience of Japanese Canadians confronting injustice.

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Where Is Home Activity

In this activity students will consider the challenges Japanese Canadians faced moving to new locations during the internment and then again in the post-war years. Their homes had been sold, they could not move back to British Columbia and many families lacked the resources to manage resettlement again. Students will predict challenges faced by these families, then examine archival sources to understand the true depth of the harm caused by forced relocation, deportation, and removal.

SUGGESTED TIME: 60 MINUTES

Teaching Instructions

  1. Provide students with Handout 4.1 Predictions of Post-Internment Life for Japanese Canadians

    - Have students consider the introductory story to this lesson and the learning acquired in the previous lessons.

    - They then consider these while completing Source 4.1 Japanese Canadian Population Distribution by Provinces 1941 and 1947 in as much detail as possible. Remind them that these are predictions and they should be thoughtful and creative with their responses. These responses are to be recorded under the ‘My Prediction’ column.

    - Now provide students with Source 4.1 Japanese Canadian Population Distribution by Provinces 1941 and 1947 and Source 4.2 Powell St. Population 1941 and 1949.

    - Students return to the chart. How does this new information impact the predictions? Allow students to add or adjust their predictions under the ‘What the Sources Said’ column.

    - Now share Source 4.3 Interview with Betty Toyota. Consider a read-aloud activity here to share the depth of feeling in this interview. Again, after reading the interview students add notes to the ‘What the Sources Said’ column.

    - OPTIONAL: Watch Minoru: Memories of Exile www.nfb.ca/film/minoru-memory-of-exile/

    - Share what challenges Japanese Canadian faced relocating, often more than once, to a new town.

    - To wrap up, students can discuss what surprised them most in this activity and which predictions they answered most and/or least successfully.

Handouts

Sources