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10 Compelling Photos of Asian American Resistance and Resilience

By Lindsee Diaz
April 22, 2022
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In 1942, Executive Order 9066 required all people of Japanese Ancestry to move to incarceration camps. The hardships from the forced relocation endured well after their return from the camps. After being uprooted from their homes, Japanese Americans had to rebuild. Many moved to the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles where the built a thriving community with Japanese owned businesses and organizations that provided social services, educated Asian youth, and fought for their civil rights.

The following images illustrate the sustained resilience of the Japanese American community.

A black and white photo of Japanese American families — from children to the elderly — lined up to enter buses parked on the street. Each person is holding at least one belonging, whether it be a paper bag or a briefcase.
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt drafted Executive Order 9066 requiring people of Japanese ancestry to move to incarceration camps. This photo from May 8, 1942, shows the last contingent of evacuees leaving Little Tokyo to go to Santa Anita Race Track, bringing the total number of evacuees in the district to 25,000. | Herald Examiner Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
A black and white photo of a group of Japanese American children standing at an incarceration camp circa 1946. Behind them are trailer homes built atop unpaved dirt. Some of the children are standing while others are squatting and talking with one another.
After being forced to leave their homes and uproot their families, Japanese Americans had to rebuild their lives when they returned from incarceration. Many ended up in temporary government-sponsored trailer installations such as this photo from 1946, where they still had to pay rent while under inadequate living conditions. | Japanese American National Museum/Gift of Ronnie Macias and Raey Hirata
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From Little Tokyo to Crenshaw
From Little Tokyo to Crenshaw

A black and white photo of two Black women, one of whom is Josephine Baker, sitting amongst baby/childrens' clothing laid out on the floor in front of them. They're both holding up an article of clothing while smiling. Behind them is a sign that reads, "Bundles! Help!! Help!!!! The Josephine Baker World Society. Send bundles to Japanese American babies."
At a time when civil rights were being threatened across disenfranchised communities, people banded together to fight the injustice of incarceration and support Japanese Americans. Here, Josephine Baker and another woman, organize a clothing drive for Japanese American babies in Los Angeles, June 1952. | Japanese American National Museum/Photograph by Toyo Miyatake Studio/Gift of the Alan Miyatake Family
George Izumi, founder of Grace Pastries Shoppe, is wearing a paper diner hat that reads "Grace Pastries" as he sits next to a table topped with cakes. There are three, decorative three-tier cakes on the table surrounding a cluster of trophies in the middle. George is holding two trophies in his hands as he smiles.
After World War II, Crenshaw had the largest population of Japanese Americans in the United States. Japanese businesses thrived, like Grace Pastries Shoppe. If your birthday was coming up, it was only right that the cake would be from the community staple, Grace Pastries. Photo from October 30, 1963. | Japanese American National Museum/Photograph by Toyo Miyatake Studio/Gift of the Alan Miyatake Family

A black and white photo of George Izumi holding a cake decorated to look like a house covered in snow and topped with a reindeer and sleigh cake topper. Isumi is wearing a hat that says, "Grace Pastries," and is standing in front of a rack full of decorated sheet cakes.

Over 70 Years Later, Grace Pastries’ Sweet Memories Linger On

A black and white image of female bowler, throwing a bowling ball down the lane. A large number of spectators watch from behind and either side of the bowling lanes. The bowling lanes on either side of the bowler are empty.
The neighborhood hot spot in Crenshaw was the Holiday Bowl... even if you didn’t bowl. The Crenshaw community gathered there to watch bowling tournaments, for coffee, birthday parties, or just to hang out with friends. | Japanese American National Museum/Gift of Dusty Mizunoue
A black and white photo of a group of three Asian American students gathered on a lawn at Susan Miller Senior Dorsey High. circa 1972. They're all gathered around the student in the middle, who is holding open a magazine or newspaper of some sort. Beyond, a group of Black students walk on the sidewalk with books in hand.
In the ‘70s, the population at Dorsey High School was reflective of the Crenshaw community they lived in. Japanese American activists learned from their neighbors and from groups like the Black Panthers; their individual fights against oppression shared the same goal to uplift their community and uphold their freedoms. The youth played an instrumental role in catalyzing the Asian American movement. | Visual Communications Photographic Archive

39th Street Elementary.JPG

Growing Up Japanese American in Crenshaw and Leimert Park

A group of protestors, predominantly Asian American, are gathered on a street, holding up picket signs. The most prominent sign is the one in the forefront that reads, "Social services for our communities." Beyond, other signs protest the war in Vietnam.
Protesting in large numbers across Los Angeles, Asian Americans fought for the well-being of their community. Their individual voices amplified as they marched together to uphold their civil rights and protest the Vietnam War. Pictured here is a person advocating for social services in their community at the Anti-Vietnam War March and Rally, Westlake/MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, May 2, 1971. | Visual Communications Photographic Archive/Photograph by Ed Ikuta
A black and white photo of people of different ethnicities and ages seated at long tables lined one behind the other. Beyond, people are gathered around tables shaded by a tent, presumably getting plates of food.
Being centrally located in the community, Crenshaw Square was a hub for community gatherings, such as this Community Pancake Breakfast at Crenshaw Square, April 19, 1969. Japanese Americans organized fairs, lunch-ins and community events for everyone in Crenshaw to participate. | Visual Communications Photographic Archive/Photograph by Robert A. Nakamura

A black and white photo of a group of Asian American youth, mostly young men, posing for a group photo with their hands raised in a fist over their heads.

The Legacy of Multiracial Solidarity in L.A.'s Crenshaw Neighborhood

A muted color photo of the Yellow Brotherhood Membership Pilgrimage to Manzanar circa 1970s. A group of young people of different ethnicities, although predominantly Asian American, sit and lean on three cars parked on unpaved gravel. Some of them are holding their hands up in fists as they smile with one another. Behind the group is a large mountain capped with snow.
The Public Education system was not adequately teaching Asian Youth of their community’s history so the Yellow Brotherhood organization took it upon themselves. Every year, the Yellow Brotherhood organization sponsored a pilgrimage to Manzanar, one of ten of America’s Concentration Camps for Japanese Americans. The pilgrimage educated Asian youth of the oppression and racism their parents and grandparents faced along with their sustained resistance and resilience. | Courtesy of Nick Nagatani/Victor Shibata Collection
A black and white photo of a group of youth gathered in a school auditorium as they look forward at something out of frame. The crowd is ethnically diverse.
The Yellow Brotherhood fostered a space for actionable change. In addition to educational outings and community wellness events, YB was devoted to uplifting their community in all aspects. This photo was taken at a Yellow Brotherhood community meeting at a neighborhood high school, L.A. High. Here, the Yellow Brotherhood membership confronted the school administrators on issues regarding the need for relevant education like Asian American and African American study classes, poor food quality and service and anything else that was on the youth’s mind. | Courtesy of Nick Nagatani/Victor Shibata Collection

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