During the 1940s, baseball wasn’t just America’s national pastime—it became a powerful way for Japanese Americans incarcerated in World War II concentration camps to express their identity as Americans. Amid barbed wire and guard towers, the crack of a bat and the rhythm of the game offered a rare sense of normalcy, pride, and community in a time of profound injustice.

Today, the Manzanar Baseball Project is breathing new life into this powerful legacy by restoring the historic baseball diamond at Manzanar National Historic Site, turning history into a living field of remembrance.

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon as multifaceted artist and project director Dan Kwong shares exclusive video footage of the diamond’s restoration and commemorative games, and performs his original work, “The Return of the Samurai Centerfielder.” Dan will be joined by two trailblazers in the field of Japanese American history and baseball:

• Susan H. Kamei, USC Adjunct Professor (Teaching) of History and author of When Can We Go Back to America?, who will explore how baseball shaped identity and resilience within the camps.
• Kerry Yo Nakagawa, founder of the Nisei Baseball Research Project and author of Through A Diamond: 100 Years of Japanese American Baseball, who will trace the rich history of Japanese American ballplayers and how their legacy resonates from dusty camp fields to the LA stadiums of today’s Japanese baseball stars.
   

This program will open with Dan Kwong’s performance and video presentation, including national and international news coverage of the first commemorative game played in October 2024. Another commemorative double-header is already in the works for October 2025. Following the screening, Dan will moderate a conversation with Kerry Yo and Susan, delving into the enduring impact of Japanese American baseball across generations and continents.

This event will be in-person only—don’t miss the chance to witness how a simple game of baseball continues to bridge history, memory, and identity.

Check out this video below of artist and project director Dan Kwong as he shared the story of reviving the historical baseball diamond at Manzanar. Hear how this simple field became a powerful symbol of resilience, identity, and community for Japanese Americans during World War II- and how the Manzanar Baseball Project is bringing that history back to life.