Tom Ikeda

Tom is the founding Executive Director of Densho. He is a sansei (third generation Japanese American) who was born and raised in Seattle. Tom’s parents and grandparents were incarcerated during World War II at Minidoka, Idaho. In addition to leading Densho for the past 20 years, Tom has conducted over 220 video-recorded, oral history interviews with Japanese Americans. He has received numerous awards for his historical contributions, including the Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellows Award and the Humanities Washington Award for outstanding achievement in the public humanities.
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This is not a test

by Tom Ikeda
The U.S. has a history of persecution and unlawful detention of minority residents. That's why Japanese Americans should stand up for Muslims today.
Jan 30, 2017

Khizr Khan’s words echo for Japanese American World War II Gold Star families

by Tom Ikeda
The speech challenging Donald Trump's anti-Muslim prejudice has parallels with incarcerated Japanese American families whose sons died fighting for the U.S.
Aug 4, 2016

Modern support for Japanese American World War II camps alarming

by Tom Ikeda
Tom Ikeda of Densho objects to using the World War II policy of Japanese American incarceration camps to justify today's climate of fear against Muslims.
Dec 18, 2015