Broken Promises

Exhibition extended until November 13, 2022.

In 1942, the Government of Canada detained and interned some 21,000 people of Japanese descent living in British Columbia. Within a year, the government authorized the sale of their belongings, leaving Japanese Canadians with nothing. When the internment era ended in 1949, those who had been detained found their homes, farms, businesses, vehicles, pets, and personal items were gone.

Broken Promises is dedicated to revealing the history of the Japanese Canadian dispossession and the impact that period of injustice continues to have. An exhibition of the Landscapes of Injustice project, in partnership with the Nikkei National Museum and the Royal BC Museum, Broken Promises is a story of the violation of human and civil rights, the generational trauma caused by mass displacement, and the strength and resilience of the Japanese Canadian community.  

Landscapes of Injustice is a research project based out of the University of Victoria, with collaborators contributing from across Canada. Including a team of researchers, community leaders, elders, archivists, and teachers, Landscapes of Injustice is dedicated to revealing the history of the Japanese Canadian dispossession.

Links of Interest

Landscapes of Injustice Project – UVic

Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre