An exhibit about the struggle for justice for Japanese Canadians placed in internment camps during the Second World War is coming to the Chatham-Kent Museum.
The municipal facility is presenting A Call for Justice: Fighting for Japanese Redress (1977-1988) from the Nikkei National Museum in British Columbia.
“This exhibition tells a story of human rights and the enduring perseverance of the Japanese Canadian community who suffered so much from 1942-1949,” a news release from the municipality said.
Although the Second World War ended in 1945, Japanese Canadians were not allowed to move freely across Canada until 1949.
In 1988, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney signed the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement and formally apologized to all Japanese Canadians.
The government offered compensation to all directly impacted, created a community fund, gave pardons for those wrongfully imprisoned during the war and granted Canadian citizenship for Japanese Canadians and their descendants who had been wrongfully deported to Japan at the end of the war.
The exhibit was created to honor the anniversary of the Redress Agreement. It was created with the support of Canadian Heritage, Museums Assistance Program, National Association of Japanese Canadians, Deux Mille Foundation, Yoshiko Karasawa and the Province of British Columbia.
“This exhibition examines the 10-year fight using historic photographs, artifacts, poetry, personal statements, art and video,” the release said.
A Call for Justice will run Jan. 28 to April 30 with an opening reception Feb. 10 from 7 pm to 9 pm in conjunction with an ARTcrawl event.
More information is available at www.chatham-kent.ca/CKMuseum.