Often overlooked because of the small population, there are few sources to tell us about the lives of Japanese and Japanese Americans in Virginia during Jim Crow and World War II. Emma Ito will share her groundbreaking research into this history, explaining how people in Virginia were affected by the 1924 Racial Integrity Act and internment during World War II.

Emma Ito (she/her) is the Director of Education at Virginia Humanities, where she is responsible for the development of K-12 educational resources. She works in the fields of public history and humanities education and is especially focused on Asian American history in Virginia. Emma comes to this work as a Japanese American born and raised in Virginia and as a descendent of her great-great grandmother who was unjustly incarcerated in Topaz, Utah, during World War II. Emma serves as a Board Member for the Virginia Museum of Natural History, Virginia Forum, and the Richmond City History & Culture Commission. Emma is also an adjunct professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University Honors College. In her free time, Emma is an avid reader and bookstagrammer.

This is an official tie-in event of Read Up Richmond 2025.