Members of the media are invited to an interview opportunity Thursday, June 8 at 10:00 am at the Galt Museum & Archives at 502 1 Street S, Lethbridge, AB. Curator Tyler J Stewart will be available to provide interviews and answer further questions.

Two children look into the window of a Japanese store, closed after the forced relocation of Japanese nationals. Credit: Jack Lindsay, Photo courtesy of City of Vancouver Archives. 1184-1537.

Lethbridge—The Galt Museum & Archives | Akaisamitohkanao’pa (eternal gathering place) is pleased to host the traveling exhibit, Broken Promises. The exhibit is now on display to the public until Sunday, September 3, 2023. The exhibit is co-curated by the Nikkei National Museum and the Royal British Columbia Museum in partnership with Landscapes of Injustice.

Broken Promises sheds light on the forced displacement and dispossession of Japanese Canadians in the 1940s through seven unique stories representing the thousands of family histories impacted for generations. While the common narrative of the Second World War focuses on the Allies defeating the Nazis, the experience of Japanese Canadians during the same event was one of injustice and broken promises.

"The forced relocation of Japanese Canadians to southern Alberta during World War II, with 75% of them being Canadian-born or naturalized Canadians, is an unjust legacy that we must not forget," says Tyler Stewart, Curator at the Galt Museum. "Despite this terrible mistreatment, Japanese culture has flourished here and remains an important part of the local community in many ways."

Displaced Japanese Canadians leaving the Vancouver area (possibly Slocan Valley) after being prohibited by law from entering a “protected area” within 100 miles of the coast in BC.
Photo courtesy of Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC). NNM, 1994.69.4.29.1.

While the exhibit uncovers a dark part of Canadian history, it also highlights the need to create a more just Canadian future. Broken Promises catalyzes conversations about racism and how individuals can be agents of change, making it a valuable resource for families.

In a time of growing anti-racism movements and a reevaluation of Canada's past racist policies, the Landscapes of Injustice project, led by the University of Victoria, is championing this national exhibition on the lesser-known aspects of Japanese Canadian internment in the 20th century.

"The exhibit content tells powerful stories of how seven selected families experienced this chapter of Canadian history, with their possessions confiscated and homes sold off after their forced relocation,” Stewart explains. “This personalized approach humanizes their experiences and will leave a profound impact on exhibition visitors."

Japanese Canadian boats from across the west coast rounded up by the Canadian Navy immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Photo courtesy of Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. NNM, 2010.4.2.1.11.a.

Visitors to the exhibit will have the opportunity to see previously unreleased photographs and select historical items. The immersive experience includes the Offices of Loss, which showcases the administration of lives and the events that unfolded, a map table illustrating the locations involved, and an Oral History Theatre that presents first-person accounts from both descendants and bystanders.

"This exhibit is important because it sheds light on how racism is truly a foundational chapter of the southern Alberta story," adds Stewart. "Although there was initial distrust and distaste among southern Albertans toward the forced relocation of Japanese Canadians to this area, these individuals became a driving force for agricultural production. By the end of World War II, around 65% of all laborers working on sugar beet farms were of Japanese descent."

The traveling exhibition began its journey at the Museum of Surrey in early 2022 and was hosted at the Canadian Immigration Museum Pier 21 in Halifax in early 2023. After its display at the Galt Museum, the exhibit will continue its tour and make its way to the Nanaimo Museum in early 2024.

Broken Promises is the outcome of a new, highly innovative way of learning and teaching a history of injustice that enables those with lived experiences to tell their own stories in a way that speaks to a broader, collective history.

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This media release can be found at www.galtmuseum.com/news.

Media Contacts

Tyler Stewart (he/him)
I’nákyaahkioohsínaa (Little Boat Man/Water Traveler)
Curator
tyler.stewart@galtmuseum.com
403.329.3907

National Exhibition Unveils Untold Stories of Japanese Canadians