For 26 years, Tom Ikeda has been using digital storytelling to preserve history at Densho, a nonprofit organization that he co-founded in 1996 to preserve and document the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during WWII. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, Tom sits down with host Paul Shoemaker to discuss his family’s own experiences during WWII, why he started Densho, why it’s crucial to preserve history correctly and how we all need to speak up to spark change on the issues we care about.

Defining Densho: Densho is a community-based organization that aims to collect and preserve stories of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during WWII. This happens through various methods like oral interviews, photographs, documents, curriculum and more. Digitalization is a priority at Densho to preserve for as long as possible.

Family roots: Tom’s grandparents immigrated to Seattle in the early 1900s. Both his parents were born in Seattle and when WWII happened, all his aunts and uncles, grandparents and both his parents were sent to Camp Harmony, a detention center at the Puyallup Fairgrounds as part of Executive Order 9066.

A sudden shift: “My parents… they were kind of like happy-go-lucky teenagers...when this shift happened where all of a sudden, they became this imaginary enemy,” Tom said. “They were viewed as sinister.”

A personal cause: Tom’s father fought in WWII and his uncle was a platoon leader killed in action. The tragedy was only made worse when his grandparents accepted the American flag to honor their son while at a concentration camp. “I understand the sacrifices of families that happened during World War II, but it just seems so disrespectful that they did that to my grandparents,” Tom said.

Learning from the past: When Tom started Densho, his background was in tech. He had to learn from many historians, who reminded him that the further away we get from a historical event, the less people will understand what it was. “With that, I realized it can't just be about the history, it has to be about the lessons,” said Tom.

History rhymes: Tom often says that history doesn’t always repeat itself, but it often rhymes. “What happened to Japanese-Americans was not just a one-time isolated event,” Tom said. “We have this pattern, this history in our country of things like this happening in terms of this xenophobia.”

Starting Densho: Tom and former Microsoft SVP Scott Oki grew up together in the Rainier Valley of Seattle. The two always talked about doing something one day to give back to their own community. They looked at Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation that was preserving testimonies of Holocaust survivors using technology. “We visited the project, and the light bulbs went on,” said Tom. They set out to find a way to preserve and share with their own community.

Microsoft influences: During his time at Microsoft, Tom believed in the idea that everything would be digital, and you could have “information at your fingertips.” He took these foundations to the nonprofit sector to try and figure out how history could reach more people using tech.

Staying organized: At Densho, they’ve had to figure out how to sort and structure the mass of records, totaling more than 126,000 names of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated. They are currently working to figure out how machine learning can help with this.

Tapping connections: Many of the relationships that Tom built at Microsoft have now influenced Densho, including Rob Glaser helping with streaming technology, Tom Corddry as a strategic advisor and more. “There are these relationships that came from Microsoft that have been so important to…the success of Densho,” Tom said.

The future of storytelling: Tom discusses why it’s so important for storytelling to be credible. “Stories are very powerful, and they can change people,” said Tom. “But they can be used in in detrimental ways.” Densho also works to train people on how to use this history and defend it in the future.

The evolution of leadership: As Tom transitions out of his role as executive director, he knows it’s the right choice. “It's more of a gut feeling where you just feel it like… this is time for me to move on,” Tom said after 26 years at Densho.

Speaking out: Tom has learned to speak out and take action. He recounts the act of civil disobedience he once took to stand up for the truth. “I think for whatever reason, and I'm guilty of it too, we tend to sit back oftentimes and watch what's happening and we don't participate,” Tom said. “You can make a difference.”

It takes us all: “My call to action is for people not to believe that someone else is going to save the world. It's all of us… collectively,” Tom said. “This kind of work is hard. It has to come from the heart.”

Learn more about Densho here.

Photo couresty Tom Ikeda

Microsoft alumnus Tom Ikeda is co-founder and executive director at Densho, where he’s been on a 26-year mission to preserves the stories of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during WWII.