The Seabrook Times
My dad grew up in Seabrook, New Jersey—not the first place you’d expect to find a Japanese American family in the 1950’s. Yet there weren’t many options at the time…
Redress and Reparations
In the decades following internment, the JACL continued to petition a formal admission of wrong from the U.S. government: Redress for the injustices of 1942-1946 is not just an isolated…
Anti-Japanese Prejudice During Resettlement
During the war, as Japanese Americans began to resettle in various parts of the country, they still faced considerable prejudice. New groups like the No Japs Inc. joined the traditional…
Racism During the Internment
Internment During the internment, racism against the Nikkei was tempered since most Americans no longer needed to interact with the “enemy race.” Some still complained, however, that relocation centers were…
Racism During the Evacuation
On December 8, 1941, the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Los Angeles Times announced that California was “a zone of danger” and called for alert, keen-eyed civilians…
Anti-Japanese Prejudice Prior to WWII
Rev. Albert E. Day, pastor of the First Methodist Church in Pasadena, preached in the wake of the Japanese American relocation, “You may have race prejudice if you want it;…
Nikkei Christianity Prior to WWII
By 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, approximately one hundred Nikkei Christian congregations had already been established. Much of this was due to the zealous efforts of churches and…
The Push for Integration
Another matter greatly debated during resettlement was whether religious denominations should resume the segregated Japanese ethnic churches or push for integration. Almost from the start of relocation, the WRA began…
Teachers Behind Barbed Wire
In addition to college opportunities for some, many Christians saw the need to provide education for children behind the barbed wire. This ministry of school teachers deserves special mention as…
From Camps to College
During the internment, Japanese American college students were also granted leave to continue their education at participating institutions. Permission for leave took a great deal of time and paperwork, so…