Photographs Don’t Lie – Documenting Japanese American Concentration Camps: Lesson Plan | And Then They Came for Us

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Primary source photographs impart valuable information about an historical event in a way that the written word cannot. Imagery takes less time to process than text-heavy explanations. As such, images convey ideas with great efficiency.

Images also often elicit strong emotional responses and interpretations. These interpretations can be shaped by a photographer’s selected subject matter, staging, cropping, captioning, and manipulation of lighting or color. Furthermore, a photographer’s purpose may be dictated by the goals of an employer or restricted by the agenda of an intended audience.

The Fred T. Korematsu Institute educates to advance racial equity, social justice, and human rights for all.