New Exhibits

Current Exhibit: Open NOW through Fall 2021!

History Often Rhymes

COVID-19 and the Racialization of Disease

Visit the interpretive center to view our current exhibit where we explore the parallels of past outbreaks with the current pandemic and the roles race, discrimination, scapegoating, and perceived foreignness play in reactions to public health threats.

“History doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes.” We like to believe that something like the incarceration of Japanese Americans could never happen again. But times of crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, often result in discrimination and attacks on Asian Americans and other minority groups. Old prejudices can suddenly reemerge under fear, anger, and stress. In our country’s history, immigration, race, and disease have always been intertwined. Remembering that can help us to avoid making the same mistakes again.