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Before They Take Us Away: On-Demand

Chronicle the previously untold stories of Japanese Americans who self-evacuated from the West Coast in the wake of forced incarceration and internment during World War II.

About the Film from the Film’s website

Before They Take Us Away is an award-winning feature documentary that captures the previously untold stories of Japanese Americans whose families self-evacuated from California upon the issuance of Executive Order 9066 during World War II.  The option of “voluntary” relocation was available for only a very brief period from early February to late March, 1942.  In early February, the US Western Defense Command (WDC) indicated that it intended to remove all men, women and children of Japanese descent from a restricted zone consisting of all of California, Western Oregon, Western Washington and Southern Arizona.  In March, the newly established War Relocation Authority (WRA) urged those affected to move voluntarily rather than being subject to forced removal and incarceration in concentration camps.  However, the overwhelming majority of Japanese Americans lacked the resources or connections necessary to move anywhere outside the restricted zone.  Compounding the situation, officials in many states outside the restricted zone quickly declared that Japanese Americans were not welcome.

Despite the daunting circumstances and the short window of time available, approximately 5,000 Japanese American men, women and children managed to leave the restricted zone on their own before voluntary relocation was halted by the WDC in late March 1942.  As this film will show, the experiences of self-evacuees varied greatly.  Some fared well, while others encountered serious hardships including hunger, hostility, violence and forced religious conversion.  All endured a hurried and difficult uprooting from their homes and communities, and were forced to fend for themselves without even the most rudimentary support from the US government.  The self-evacuees experienced a unique kind of double-displacement, both from their homes and from the shared experience of the larger Japanese American community. Woven together, these personal stories powerfully capture a community in the midst of a forced migration, and the courage and tremendous hard labor it took to regain their footing.

Learn More: Film Website

Four-Four-Two, F Company at War On-Demand

This documentary film is a compelling new story of the heroic Japanese Americans who fought in Italy and France during WW II.

This is the story of “F” Company of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the all Japanese American regiment of WW II. This film follows the exploits of F Company through the letters of 1st Sergeant Jack Wakamatsu and interviews of five F Company veterans who recall in vivid detail their wartime experiences from witnessing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to the Banzai charge up a hill in France where F Company completely annihilated a German infantry company.

In archival footage from the National Archives, F Company is seen moving up to the frontline the day before they launched their attack for the French town of Bruyeres. Filmmaker Peter Wakamatsu, son of 1st Sergeant Jack Wakamatsu, has created a unique war documentary in which the story is told through the eyes of the men who fought in combat. Learn More:

 Watch the Episode On-Demand

PBS KIDS: Talk About: Race and Racism

BS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism is a special co-viewing program for families with young children to watch and discuss together. 

The PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism special is a half-hour program featuring authentic conversations between real children and their growmups, and will include content from PBS KIDS series DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, ARTHUR and XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM.

The special will feature children and their grownups talking about race and racial justice-related topics in an age-appropriate way, such as noticing differences in race, understanding what racism can look like, and embracing the role we all have to play in standing up for ourselves and each other — offering viewers ideas to build on as they continue these important conversations at home.

**Please note: This special programming is designed as a co-viewing experience with adults and children watching together. **

Watch together on-demand

More: Articles and Resources for Grown-ups 

More About the Special

Grownup note: PBS KIDS programs are designed to reflect the diversity of communities across the nation, and to address themes relevant to children’s everyday lives. This special is designed for parents and children to watch together, and for parents to build on in whatever way they choose to have these conversations with their children. The program touches on topics such as race, racism, and the recent Black Lives Matter protests from the perspective of real kids in an effort to help children understand what they might be seeing happening around them in a developmentally-appropriate way.

The PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism special was created in response to parents increasingly asking PBS KIDS for resources to address tough but important topics with their kids, including race and racism, and is part of PBS KIDS’ ongoing commitment to families across the nation.

Designed as a co-viewing experience, the program explores complicated topics in an age-appropriate way. Our goal is to support parents in talking with their children about race. We hope that our content will provide a helpful starting point in whatever way parents choose to have these conversations with their children. Additional parent resources are available on PBS KIDS for Parents on pbs.org/parents/talking-about-racism to support parents in discussions about race and racial justice-related topics with their children.

The following advisors consulted on this project:

  • Dr. Aisha White, Program Director, P.R.I.D.E (Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education)
  • Dr. Renee Wilson-Simmons, Executive Director, ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) Awareness Foundation
  • Dr. Dana Winters, Director of Simple Interactions and Academic Programs; Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies, Fred Rogers Center

Coming Together: Sesame Street Resources on Racial Literacy

Sesame Workshop continues its major commitment to racial justice with new resources and content called “Coming Together” to help families talk to young children about race and identity. 

All kids need a strong individual and group identity, but racism hurts the healthy development of both, as well as our entire society. Whether you and the children in your care are directly affected by racism or you’re allies of those who are, engaging honestly and directly with little ones is the beginning of building racial literacy (the skills needed to talk thoughtfully about race and to identify and respond to racism). 

Please note: All of the resources listed below and available through Sesame Street in Communities are designed for co-viewing, co-learning, and co-participation – meaning that to create the most meaningful experience and takeaways, adults and children should use them together.

I Am Somebody Song:

I Am Somebody (Giant Song) #ComingTogether
You and Me Makes We Song #ComingTogether
#ComingTogether Playlist

Coming Together is rooted in extensive research and consultation with experts to develop a groundbreaking Racial Justice educational framework and curriculum for young children. Like the science-based whole-child model that Sesame Street is known for, this framework will help guide and inform the creation of new Sesame Workshop content going forward—including future seasons of Sesame Street. This collection of resources are designed to provide families with the tools they need to build racial literacy, to have open conversations with young children, to engage allies and advocates to become upstanders against racism, and more, Coming Together includes a racial justice educational framework, ongoing research, and a rolling release of new content.

Where to Find Coming Together Resources: You can find all of the resources connected to Coming Together and Racial Justice by following the below links.

Learn More: Sesame Street in Communities Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Resources

Asian Americans PBS LearningMedia Collection

PBS LearningMedia has a wide range of learning resources for students in grades 7-12th grade, focused on Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage and PBS’s Asian American series including the full Asian Americans series

Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that delivers a bold, fresh perspective on a history that matters today, more than ever. As America becomes more diverse, and more divided, while facing unimaginable challenges, how do we move forward together? Told through intimate and personal lives, the series will cast a new lens on U.S. history and the ongoing role that Asian Americans have played in shaping the nation’s story.

There are videos and three dozen lesson plans based on the Asian American series. Over the coming weeks, you’ll find this collection to include the stories behind the Chinese Exclusion Act, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, Hawai’i as a sovereign nation, Southeast Asian Refugees after the Vietnam War, Filipino American Farmworkers, the fight for civil rights and much more. Keep checking back.

To support conversation and instruction, WXXI Education has pulled together a list of educational resources available through PBS LearningMedia:

    Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage

    Sesame Street: See Us Coming Together Special

    It’s “Neighbor Day” on Sesame Street and everyone has something special to share! The special follows the Sesame Street friends through a community celebration with new friend Ji-Young—a 7-year-old Korean American character, performed by Sesame Workshop puppeteer Kathleen Kim. Original music and celebrity guests like actors Simu Liu and Anna Cathcart, comic book artist Jim Lee, chef Melissa King, television personality Padma Lakshmi, and athlete Naomi Osaka round out the celebration! Also Available on PBS LearningMedia

    and 

    Ji-Young’s Song with the Best Friends’ Band

    Remembering Pearl Harbor Electronic Field Trip On-Demand

    In the WYES and The National WWII Museum Electronic Field Trip geared to grades 5-8, REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR—HOW STUDENTS LIKE YOU EXPERIENCED THE DAY OF INFAMY, student reporters hear first hand from eyewitnesses who were 11-20 years of age during the time of the surprise attacks. Also sharing their stories are military survivors who were at Pearl Harbor during the attacks. These recollections will bring the experience to life and serve as an excellent primary source in teaching students.

    Students Julia Bresnan from Hawaii and Eliana de Las Casas (2016 winner of “Chopped Teen” on the Food Network) report from The National WWII Museum in New Orleans as well as on location in Hawaii.

    The video is is approximately 50 minutes in length.  Additional Resources from WYES

    Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

    Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage

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