During World War II, over 42,000 Japanese migrants and 70,000 U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast of the United States were sent to incarceration camps. Among them were ordained Baptist pastors and their congregations, numbering about 2000, who would hold on to their faith as they struggled to understand and find hope in their experience.
This exhibit, A Resilient Faith, presents work the ABHS has done since 2023 to digitize records related to this history and provide educational resources for scholars, congregations, and members of the public.
Winslow Baptist Church pastor Kihachi Hirakawa and members of his congregation in the back of an Army truck during the evacuation of Bainbridge Island in 1942. The Church's founder, Hirakawa was 78 when this picture was taken.
This project was funded, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government
This material received Federal financial assistance for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally funded assisted projects. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write:
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