Densho

Densho is a nonprofit organization and community archive dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II to promote equity and justice today. Founded in 1996, Densho offers the most comprehensive online resource on this history. Through our extensive digital archives, online encyclopedia, and other educational resources, we aim to deepen public understanding, foster dialogue, encourage critical thinking, and educate future generations to build a more equitable and just society.

Our Values

• Stewardship – Our elders entrusted us to share their stories with future generations. We hold ourselves accountable to the community of survivors and descendents that our work represents.
• Integrity – In documenting and sharing WWII incarceration history, we abide by the highest standards of scholarly rigor and archival best practices.
• Innovation – We remain informed about technological trends, recognize opportunities, and adopt new ideas.
• Justice – We use our own history as a foundation for supporting other groups that face similar instances of racism, xenophobia, and bigotry.
• Collaboration – We seek to build new partnerships and strengthen existing ones because success is achieved by working with others.