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American Social History Project • Center for Media and Learning

A New Mission US is Released

Published September 10, 2020

Prisoner in My Homeland, the sixth Mission US interactive history teaching resource is now available along with an in-depth Educator’s Guide. In this online immersive role-playing game, the player takes on the role of Henry Tanaka, a 16 year-old Japanese American from Bainbridge Island in Washington State. After the U.S. entrance into World War II, Henry’s typical American teenage life is forever changed when President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced removal and incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans. Prisoner in My Homeland follows Henry as he struggles to make sense of the incarceration, tries to help his family and community, faces choices about how to adjust to life in the prison camps, and responds to the required loyalty questionnaire. Player choices throughout the game shape what ultimately happens to Henry and his family in the years after their incarceration. We are delighted that Newsweek provided a glowing review of the new mission.

During the three years of production, the Mission US team (WNET New York Public Media, Electric Funstuff, and ASHP/CML) worked in cooperation with Japanese American community and history organizations including with Densho, a Seattle-based organization and digital archive, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community and the Manzanar National Historic Site. Funding for Prisoner in My Homeland came from the National Park Service.

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