JASC Legacy Center

JASC Legacy Center

JASC Legacy Center

From the Jerry Jiro Katayama Photograph Collection, JASC Legacy Center.

From the Jerry Jiro Katayama Photograph Collection, JASC Legacy Center.

The JASC Legacy Center is Chicago’s home for the Japanese American story. Our archives, library, and oral history project preserve more than 75 years of community memory, including the experience of incarceration, postwar resettlement, and the everyday life of Japanese Americans in Chicago from the 1890s to today.

Explore the Archives

Schedule a Group Visit

Archives

Documents, photographs, audiovisual materials, and ephemera covering Japanese American life in Chicago from the late 1800s through today.

Browse the Archives

Library

Over 800 volumes on Japanese American immigration, WWII incarceration, military service, resettlement in Chicago, and arts and culture.

See the Library Catalog

Oral Histories

Community interviews on incarceration, family stories, contemporary activism, and life in Chicago’s Japanese American community.

Listen Now

For Corporations and DEI Programming

The Legacy Center partners with companies seeking authentic Asian American Heritage Month and DEI programming. Past programming includes: speaker sessions on Japanese American incarceration, guided archive tours, employee resource group workshops, and corporate sponsorship of preservation projects.

Contact us at legacy@jasc-chicago.org to discuss programming for your team.

Donating to the Legacy Center

The Legacy Center welcomes donations from the community. The preservation of the Japanese American heritage has been made possible through generous donations from many people in the community. The Legacy Center collects all types of materials—in English or in Japanese—that document the history and experience of the Japanese American community in the Chicago area and the Midwest. These items include:

  • letters
  • memoirs and reminiscences
  • diaries, journals, and notebooks
  • scrapbooks
  • yearbooks
  • oral histories
  • family documents
  • legal documents such as birth, immigration, marriage, and death records
  • professional papers, speeches, and lectures
  • business records and reports
  • subject files
  • directories from the community, churches, temples, or other groups
  • photographs, negatives, photo albums, and slides
  • audio and video recordings (audio tapes, films)
  • newspapers, including clippings
  • books
  • magazines, journals, periodicals, and newsletters
  • dissertations, articles, and school papers
  • brochures, flyers, notices, and advertisements
  • organizational records

Because the research value of records may be diminished if items are damaged, rearranged, or incomplete, please contact the Legacy Center before sorting, discarding, or reorganizing your papers and records. When in doubt, don’t throw it out!

Please contact the Legacy Center via email, or call 773-275-0097 ext. 222. before bringing or sending any materials.  No donations can be accepted without prior approval of Legacy Center staff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Researchers, students, family historians, and community members are welcome by appointment, free of charge. Email legacy@jasc-chicago.org or call 773-275-0097 ext. 225 to schedule.

Our holdings document the Japanese American experience in Chicago from the late 1800s to today, with particular depth in WWII incarceration and postwar Chicago resettlement. We also hold JASC’s own institutional records from 1946 to the present.

Yes, and the community depends on these donations. Please email or call before bringing materials so staff can review what’s appropriate for the archive. Do not sort, rearrange, or discard items before contacting us.

Yes. We host school groups, university classes, and corporate ERG and DEI programs. We can offer archive tours, speaker sessions on Japanese American history, and project-based partnerships. Email legacy@jasc-chicago.org to discuss.

A growing portion is. Our digital exhibits, oral history audio, and finding aids are accessible via the Legacy Center website. Materials not yet digitized are available on-site by appointment.