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High school students with schoolbooks, Minidoka, ca. 1943. Students are Rose (Suzuki) Obata, Reiko Miura and Tosh Mano. Wing Luke Asian Museum Photograph Collection. Image no. 1992.041.004 BH.
Drawing class at Minidoka, 12/9/1942. National Archives and Record Administration. Record Group 210: Records of the War Relocation Authority, 1941 – 1947.
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After the initial evacuation and subsequent imprisonment of Japanese Americans, evacuees and the War Relocation Authority made a considerable effort to maintain the educational process of children within the camps. The following essays are taken from students at the Minidoka Relocation Center during their time of imprisonment. Many were written only one year after their removal from their homes on the West Coast. These essays are a reflection of the many emotions surrounding the student’s changing lifestyle and deconstruction of their normal familiarities. They also exemplify the historical decisions surrounding the mass imprisonment of an ethnic group based solely on its ancestry. It is important to remember that the voices within these essays are those of adolescents. Few are critical of the government?s decisions, yet all possess a strong indication of the student?s changing environment.
Essays are from the microfilm sets Japanese American evacuation and resettlement records, reel 325, section 5, part 2 and WRA Records A: Field Basic Documentation, 1942-1946, Reel 86.
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