#NeverAgain — Storytelling for Understanding, Action and Change
This six-lesson unit for grades 8-12 explores personal and family stories about the incarceration of people of Japanese heritage during World War II. Countering a myth of Asian American passivity in the face of injustice, “Never Again” explores how experience inspires action and how storytelling helps us understand , heal and make change.
Arts-based activities with each lesson help students discover how personal narratives expand and complicate other stories they may have learned.
As an extension, an Action Civics Project – grounded in 10 Questions for Young Changemakers from Harvard University’s Democratic Knowledge Project – guides students in creating their own changemaking story projects. The 10 Questions offer a lens for linking media literacy and activism, helping students stay thoughtful and safe while planning and drafting their projects.
Photo by Alexander Novati, 2013, Creative Commons license CC-BY-SA 3.0
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Introduction to curriculum themes through survivor and family personal accounts —> audio links and lesson plan.
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Controlling the narrative. Historical accounts can leave out some stories. —> audio links and lesson plan.
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The deportation and incarceration of Japanese Latin Americans. —> audio links and lesson plan.
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Even within families, our stories are not all the same. —> audio links and lesson plan.
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Survivor-activists share their inspiration and determination. —> audio links and lesson plan.
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Japanese American activists share about causes they fight for today. —> audio links and lesson plan.
Audio excerpts from the 2021 “Never Again” radio series are provided with each lesson above — full episodes available here.
“Never Again” is intended to supplement other/ongoing learning about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II — additional resources on this topic listed here.
California curriculum standards in History/Social Science, Common Core English Language Arts and Visual and Performing Arts described here.