JAHMP Shares Preserving California Japantowns' Mission
The Japanese American Historical Mapping Project (JAHMP) seeks to create new archives and documentation of pre-World War II Issei-Nisei communities that dotted the Southern California landscape.
During the 2005-2006, JAHMP recorded the land, life and community history of 15 families from the 40-plus pre-WW II coastal dry farming community on the Palos Verdes Peninsula-San Pedro Hills. JAHMP migration mapping histories revealed the stamina of Issei-Nisei spirit to homestead and relocate without hopes of owning land or gaining U.S citizenship rights. The movements of five-six families will be featured on the JAHMP website to visualize serial relocations to settle and the impact of pre and post World War II events that devastated their community building over 30-40 years.
JAHMP-CSULB-ArcGIS digital databases were established to capture the geographical sites of San Pedro Vegetable Growers Association ranches as well as a limited number of independent farms. What has faded from Issei-Nisei memories can be partially revived through 1928 and 1945 aerial photography and geographical base maps. JAHMP families persevered through countless interviews to support these efforts.
JAHMP owes its realization to a 2004-2005 California Civil Liberties grant. It will continue its preservation vision to document other small Japanese American communities now forgotten.