Northeastern Illinois University presents "Reckoning with Redress: A Three Part Series”
Friday, Sept. 4, 2026
On Sept. 22-23, 1981, the Commission on the Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) hearings were held on Northeastern Illinois University’s Main Campus. The hearings investigated the legality of Executive Order 9066, a mandate issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II that led to the detainment of more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, two-thirds of whom were American citizens. Considered a threat to national security because of their ethnic background, the uprooted Japanese and Japanese Americans were placed into internment camps and held for an average of three years. No internee was ever formally charged with or convicted of espionage or sabotage.
To mark the 45th anniversary of the CWRIC hearings, the University will host "Reckoning with Redress: A Three Part Series,” which will reflect on this often forgotten part of American history. All events will be free, open to the public and will take place on the University’s Main Campus, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave. in Chicago. Events include an art and archival exhibition about the Japanese American Redress Movement; the community celebration and project premiere of Full Spectrum Education’s “Reckoning with Redress,” a cinematic digital history project; and the University’s annual Jean Burke Carlson and Diane Berger Ehrlich Memorial Lecture.
Cover of "Japanese Americans in Chicago" by Alice Murata
Michael Tanimura and Professor Emerita Alice Murata are the co-curators of “Reckoning with Redress: 45th Anniversary Exhibit,” which will run from Sept. 5 - Oct. 31 in the Ronald Williams Library. Murata is the author of the book “Japanese Americans in Chicago” (Arcadia Publishing) and is involved in all three parts of the “Reckoning with Redress” series. In 2021, 40 years after the CWRIC hearings took place, Murata spearheaded the University’s Japanese American Redress conference titled, “With Liberty and Justice for All: Racism, Redress and Reparations,” which brought together artists, activists and scholars from across the country, examining the significance and influence of the CWRIC hearings as well as how racism continues to impact non-white Americans.
Murata has a very personal connection to the Japanese American Redress Movement. She and her family were forced to live at Poston Internment Camp in Arizona when she was a very young child.
“It was a great injustice for Japanese Americans to be placed in camps during World War II because of racism and the fact that the majority were American citizens whose basic rights were denied,” Murata said. “This exhibit shares art and artifacts which helps people learn how Japanese Americans made Redress successful.”
The University has a long history with the Japanese American Redress Movement. It is home to the Japanese American Redress Collection, which features the transcripts of the CWRIC hearings held in 1981. The University’s Digital Commons also holds the “Hearing Before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians” collection, which features the video footage of the CWRIC hearings. Part of the films became part of “Asian Americans,” a five-part PBS documentary series.
“The Japanese American archive is one of the NEIU Libraries collections that we are most proud of because it strikes such a chord with the Chicago community,” said Dean of NEIU Libraries Steven Harris. “The collection has stimulated many programs, discussions and inquiries, inspiring questions that resonate with today’s social and political issues. The role our University Archivists have played is a point of pride as well. The work they did to organize and digitize parts of the collection has given them greater visibility and showcased their dedication to preserving historical documents.”
Filming "Enough" at Northeastern Illinois University in 2025 (Courtesy of Full Spectrum Education)
Full Spectrum Education, a division of Full Spectrum Features, will host the public launch of their “Reckoning with Redress” digital history project on Sept. 22 in Alumni Hall, located within the Student Union. Guests will move through an interactive showcase of the project — including their “Activating the Archives” game and digital story map — before gathering for screenings of “Enough,” a short docudrama filmed at NEIU in 2025 that recreated the 1981 hearings, and “Reckonings,” a short documentary on the history of the Redress Movement and the making of the project.
“On Sept. 22, we're not just marking an anniversary — we're bringing this community back to the very room where their voices were first heard,” said Full Spectrum Features’ Director of Education and Research Ashley Cheyemi McNeil, Ph.D. “Forty-five years ago, survivors and descendants stood up at NEIU and insisted that their stories become part of the public record. Launching ‘Reckoning with Redress’ on that same campus, on that same date, is our way of saying: We heard you then, and we're making sure the next generation hears you now."
Lastly, the University’s annual Jean Burke Carlson and Diane Berger Ehrlich Memorial Lecture will be held on Oct. 15 in Alumni Hall and in the Sasha Gerritson Theatre (formerly the NEIU Auditorium in Building E). Associate Professor of History at the University of Illinois Chicago Michael Jin, Ph.D., will discuss the Japanese American Redress Movement and present “Reckoning with Redress: What Teachers Need to Know.”
Dean of the Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education Thomas Philion, Ph.D., said it feels fitting for the annual Carlson and Ehrlich Lecture to focus on the Japanese American Redress Movement because of the 45th anniversary of the hearings being held at the University and the history that can be explored with educators and students.
“The idea that history should be touched and felt, not just recorded, is central to teacher education at NEIU,” Dr. Philion said. “By bringing Dr. Jin's expertise in Asian American history and its teaching to our future educators, we're equipping them with both the content knowledge and the pedagogical tools to help their own students understand how movements for social justice take shape, one community at a time.”
Murata feels that it is important for more attention to be brought to this part of American history that is often overlooked because much of what happened in the past is continuing today.
“We need to learn from past experiences,” Murata said. “Everyone deserves justice and equal treatment. Yet still today racism exists and in fear basic rights are denied. Fairer immigration laws need to be enacted. We must continue to keep working for peace and justice for everyone.”
"Reckoning with Redress" events
“Reckoning with Redress: 45th Anniversary Exhibit”
Opening reception: Sept. 5, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Exhibition run: Sept. 5-Oct. 31, 2026, during regular library hours
Main Campus, Ronald Williams Library, Gallery Space
Explore contemporary art and archival materials from NEIU’s Japanese American Redress Collection, community collections and national archives. The exhibition traces the history of the Japanese American Redress Movement and shares the stories of those who fought for justice. The exhibit has been curated by Michael Tanimura and Northeastern Professor Emerita Alice Murata.
Courtesy of Full Spectrum Features
“Reckoning with Redress: A Community Celebration and Project Premiere”
Sept. 22, 5:00-8:30 p.m.
Main Campus, Student Union, Alumni Hall
Join Full Spectrum Education for the project launch of “Reckoning with Redress,” a cinematic digital history project on the Japanese American Redress Movement. This community celebration also marks the 45th anniversary of the 1981 Chicago hearings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) that took place at Northeastern’s Main Campus. The evening will feature an interactive showcase with a digital story map, panel discussion, a live performance by Ho Etsu Taiko and screenings of the new films “Enough” and “Reckonings.” Light refreshments will be served.
Free parking will be available in Lot F and the Parking Facility.
Michael Jin, Ph.D.
Jean Burke Carlson and Diane Berger Ehrlich Memorial Lecture: “Reckoning with Redress: What Teachers Need to Know”
Oct. 15, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Meet and Greet: 5:00 p.m., Student Union, Alumni Hall
Lecture: 6:00 p.m., Building E, Sasha Gerritson Theatre
Reception: 7:15 p.m., outside of the Sasha Gerritson Theatre
The Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education will host Associate Professor of History at the University of Illinois Chicago Michael Jin, Ph.D., as he presents a lecture on the Japanese American Redress Movement. The lecture will examine and demonstrate what educators can do to develop curricula and instruction to make this movement in American history relevant and meaningful for students today.
Free parking will be available in Lot D.
Top photo: A black and white photo of Minoru Yasui providing testimony during the Commission on the Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians hearings held at Northeastern Illinois University in 1981.