See how photographer Ansel Adams captured life inside a Japanese internment camp.
Barely three months after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, allowing for the relocation of anyone on the West Coast deemed a threat to national security.
Soon, nearly 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry (many born in America and half of them children) were assigned identification numbers and loaded into buses, trains, and cars with just a few of their belongings. After a brief stay at temporary encampments, they were moved to 10 permanent, but quickly constructed, relocation centers — better known as internment camps.
Departing for relocation. Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
In 1943, renowned photographer Ansel Adams visited one of the camps.
Adams was best known for his landscape photography, with his work appearing in galleries and museums across the country. But he welcomed the opportunity to see and capture life at the Manzanar War Relocation Center in the fall of 1943.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
These are just a few dozen of his photos capturing the unthinkable experience of being a prisoner of war in your own country.
Life at the internment camp was hard on the body and spirit.
1. Nestled in Owens Valley, California, between the Inyo and Sierra Nevada mountains, the camp faced harsh conditions.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
There were relentless blasts of desert dust, heat during the day, and punishingly cold temperatures at night.
2. There were 10,000 people crowded into 504 barracks at Manzanar, covering about 36 blocks.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
3. Each barrack was divided into four rooms, shared toilets, showers, and a dining area, offering families little to no privacy or personal space.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
Furnishings and creature comforts were sparse. Just a cot, a straw-filled mattress, and blankets. Up to eight individuals shared a 20-by-25-foot room.
4. Due to the severe emotional toll and inadequate medical care, some Japanese Americans died in the camps.
Marble monument with inscription that reads "Monument for the Pacification of Spirits." Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
Others, including some at Manzanar, were killed by guards, allegedly forresisting orders.
Though he was a civilian employed by the military, Adams was able to capture aspects of the camp that the government didn't want depicted in his work.
5. The housing section at Manzanar was surrounded by barbed wire and patrolled by military police.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
But shots of armed soldiers, guard towers, or barbed wire weren't allowed, so Adams worked around it. Instead, he captured these subjects in the background or the shadows.
6. So while he couldn't take a photo of the guard tower, he took one from the top of it.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
As serious as conditions were, internees attempted to make the most of an unimaginable situation.
7. They were allowed to play organized sports, like volleyball.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
8. Baseball games were popular too.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
To maintain order, teams of players from each center were allowed to travel from camp to camp to play ball.
9. Churches and boys and girls clubs were established.
A Sunday school class at the internment camp. Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
10. There were singing groups.
The choir rehearses. Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
11. And even a YMCA.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
In the face of adversity, everyone did their best to stay busy.
12. Kids went to school...
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
13. ...had recess...
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
14. ...and studied for uncertain futures, all behind barbed wire.
Students listen to a science lesson. Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
15. The adults worked inside Manzanar. Some maintained the dusty, arid fields.
There were 5,500 acres of land for agriculture at Manzanar. Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
16. They grew crops like leafy greens and squash.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
17. Or raised cattle.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
18. Others worked as welders...
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
19. ...nurses...
A nurse tends to babies at the orphanage. Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
20. ...scientists...
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
21. ...or shopkeepers.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
22. Workers earned $12 to $19 a month. Some pooled their earnings to start a general store, newspaper, and barbershop.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
By the end of the war, more than 11,000 Japanese Americans had been processed through the Manzanar camp.
And despite being held for supposedly posing a threat to national security, not one Japanese American was charged with espionage.
Photo by Ansel Adams/Library of Congress.
The Manzanar camp closed in 1945. Japanese Americans returned to neighborhoods and homes they barely recognized. And 45 years later, they received a formal apology.
In 1988, after a decade-long campaign, Congress passed The Civil Liberties Act, which required the government to pay $20,000 in reparations to each internment camp survivor. In 1990, the first of nine redress payments was made. A 107-year-old reverend, Mamoru Eto, was the first to receive his payment. Later, President George H.W. Bush delivered a formal apology.
"I took that as evidence that — in spite of the things the government did — this is a country that was big enough to say, 'We were wrong, we're sorry," one survivor told the BBC.
By standing up to hysteria and xenophobia — and refusing to forget this unforgivable era in American history — we can continue to do right by the thousands of Americans put in an unthinkable situation.
These photos remind us of why we will never go back to a place like that again.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."