Assembly Centers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys
Marysville The Marysville Assembly Center was located at a migrant workers’ camp about eight miles south of Marysville. It was also known as the Arboga Assembly Center after the nearby…
Portland & Stockton Assembly Centers
Portland Rev. Andrew Kuroda, pastor of the Salem Japanese Community Church, wrote a lengthy letter to friends and associates before entering the Portland Assembly Center, stating that he was “determined…
Puyallup Assembly Center
Families from the Seattle area were mainly sent to the Puyallup Assembly Center on the grounds of the Western Washington State Fairgrounds.[1] According to Floyd Schmoe, In Seattle, the orders…
Assembly: Not Neglecting to Meet Together
Throughout the spring of 1942 the U.S. Army hastily converted racetracks, fairgrounds, and parks into seventeen temporary facilities for residence.[1] The shock of these assembly centers remained so fresh in…
Love Beyond Words
During the Japanese American internment, Christians of all ethnicities engaged in personal ministry to those who were suffering. The stories recorded here have only represented a handful of those which…
Friends in Need are Friends Indeed
Historic peace churches such as the Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and the Society of Friends (Quakers) frequently engaged in personal ministry to the evacuees during World War II. As…
A Man for Others
Before the war, the Rev. Emery E. Andrews (1894-1976), affectionately known as “Andy,” had been the active and well-liked English-language minister of the Seattle Japanese Baptist Church (JBC).[1] He had…
Dear Miss Breed
Clara E. Breed (1906-1994) grew up in a Christian home[1] and was a children’s librarian in San Diego at the time of the evacuation. Her library was the branch closest…
A Family Picnic
According to the 1940 census, nearly two-thirds of Japanese Americans had jobs related to agriculture. Such work brought them into contact with members of the farming community. E. C. Loomis…
Plain Talk About Exclusion
Walter C. Woodward (1910-2001) and his wife, Mildred (1909-1989), lived on Bainbridge Island across Puget Sound from Seattle and were among the only courageous souls who spoke up for the…