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Royal B.C. Museum shines light on Canada’s dark past

Landscapes of Injustice will explore the internment and dispossession of Japanese-Canadians during Second World War

The Royal B.C. Museum is teaming up with institutions across the country to tell the story of one of Canada’s darkest periods.

Landscapes of Injustice will explore the internment and dispossession of the 21,000 Japanese-Canadians living on the West Coast during the Second World War. Using its already extensive source material from the period, the Royal B.C. Museum will help design and host a travelling exhibition, as well as launching an online education platform for kindergarten to Grade 12 students.

“The story of the Japanese-Canadian experience during the Second World War is well-documented, but perhaps not widely understood by most British Columbians,” said Kathryn Bridge, Royal B.C. Museum deputy director.

Leading the project is the University of Victoria, whose graduate and post-doctoral students will be working closely with the museum to transform their research results into educational content.

Landscapes of Injustice was awarded a $2.5 million partnership grant from the federal government last week, and the project will include 14 universities, museums and cultural associations across the country.

Landscapes of Injustice is set to open in 2019 at the Nikkei National Museum in Burnaby before touring the country. For more information, visit landscapesofinjustice.com.