The Abel Franco Theater at Pasadena High School was filled with emotion, insight, and community spirit as students, families, educators, and leaders came together for a special celebration of Building Empathy: Honoring Histories, Identities, and Humanity.
The event marked a culminating moment for a three-year community-based education initiative that has engaged more than 1,000 students across Pasadena Unified School District campuses in deep learning about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II—and the continued fight for civil rights in America today.
Launched in fall 2022 across three PUSD campuses, the Building Empathy project invited students and teachers to explore the lasting impact of Executive Order 9066 through professional development, collaborative lessons, and powerful creative expression. Supported by grants from the California State Library and California Humanities, the project has grown to include immersive field trips to the Japanese American National Museum and a two-day journey to Manzanar, one of the incarceration camps where Japanese Americans were unjustly imprisoned.
Learn more about the Manzanar journey in this KLRN documentary. CLICK HERE
At the May 14 event, attendees—including PEF board members, the PUSD Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Blanco, and proud parents—were moved by student presentations of memoirs, poetry, comics, art, and original podcasts. Each work reflected a personal and critical engagement with the project’s core themes: civil liberties, identity, and justice.
Student work drew connections between the injustices faced by Japanese Americans during WWII and modern-day issues related to race, immigration, religion, gender, and more. Some interviewed family members to better understand generational experiences with discrimination. Others produced essays, visual art, and speeches on topics that matter deeply to them today.
The evening also featured a preview of a new KLRN documentary capturing the journey of the project, along with the release of a printed anthology and the unveiling of a dedicated website showcasing student work.
Through this program, students have become both historians and storytellers, using their voices to honor the past and shape a more empathetic future.
The Pasadena Educational Foundation is proud to support this extraordinary partnership of students, educators, and community members.
