The Incredible History of Nikkei Farmers in S. Cal
April 11, 2026 @ 10:00AM — 2:00PM Pacific Time (US & Canada) Add to Calendar
Tanaka Farms: 5380 3/4 University Dr Irvine, CA 92612 Get Directions
Celebrate the Incredible History of Nikkei Farmers in S. Cal
Join KanshaHistory.org and OCO to celebrate the history of Nikkei farming, the creation of the first database of nearly 6,000 pre-WWII Nikkei farms, and the Issei, Nisei Farmers: Their Legacy project at Tanaka Farms, which lifts up the stories of Issei and Nisei growers and their descendants. Come and get your family record, celebrate the great legacy of Nikkei farmers, and support educational programs to make sure that these farmers, their struggles, successes, innovations and courage are never forgotten.
At the start of World War II, most Nikkei Californians were involved in farming. When these farmers were incarcerated, the War Relocation Authority documented the transfer of their farms (both owned and rented) on thousands of notecards. This year, KanshaHistory.org volunteers completed the transcription, proofing and spell checking of those cards, and we want to share the results at this luncheon while we recognize several representative farm families whose experiences of building, losing, and rebuilding farms across different regions, crops, and generations help bring this larger history to life. Support for this event will help Kansha History continue developing educational programs on this important history.
Hosted by the OCO Club. This lunch is made possible with grants from Keiro, Peterson Foundation, The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Foundation, and the George and Sakaye Aratani CARE Award and the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, and the time and labor of 200+ volunteers.