Following President Franklin Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 in 1942, in the midst of World War II, approximately 117,000 Japanese Americans were to be relocated into various assembly centers. Once there, they would be moved into one of 10 Detention Camps. Most of these people would stay in these detention centers for the following three years, until the war ended. (1) The lives of these people were drastically changed as a result of the hysteria and fear toward Japanese-Americans at the time. The executive order is an result of that hysteria.
Once these people were notified, they had six days to get rid of the majority of their possessions, and were only allowed "that which can be carried by the family or the individual." Most items were left to neighbors or sold below value. Evacuating Japanese American farmers were not allowed to delay their relocation to even harvest their crops, which resulted in a shortage of fruits and vegetables in California. "Japanese Americans grew 95 percent of the state's strawberries and one-third of the state's truck crops." (2). These people were no longer allowed to live their normal lives. Instead, they were sent away to these various camps, asking the question, "What is freedom?"
Life inside these camps was not glamorous. According to Reiko Oshima Komoto, who lived in the Topaz Detention Camp (see map), "Each block contained two rows of eight, tar-papered barracks, one-story, twenty by one hundred feet . . . Our sleeping quarters consisted of two large rooms (approximately 20' x 25'); metal cots, and army blankets. There was a pot bellied stove for heating." When describing the food provided, he said, "Each block also had a separate building for meals. I remember waiting in line to receive our food and lots of organ meats (kidney, liver and heart) being served. Food on the most part was not good depending on the cook's culinary skills and groceries allotted." (3)
Once they were allowed to leave the camps and return, there was an extremely large adjustment to make. Reiko Oshima Komoto describes, "Out of camp, school was foreign in many ways, including the usual things a student encounters going from elementary to junior high school. I also had the difficulty of entering after the school year had already started, and I missed many of the subjects that should have been presented from 3rd to 6th grade. I was afraid someone would create a scene and hatefully call me a Jap!!! I recall trying to walk on ice and hitting my head after a fall and falling down a few more times before arriving at school. I still have a scar on my head as a reminder. Adjustment to life outside the camp was difficult. I was afraid a great deal of the time. I didn't want to encounter incidents of prejudice. I became a timid and introverted person, which I've overcome as I've aged." (3). Komoto's life and personality changed as a result of these camps. He lived in constant fear in the many things he did, whether it be his schooling inside the camp, or adjusting outside the camp.
There were tens of thousands of people like Reiko Oshima Komoto, all forced to live their life following the unjust guidelines of the United States government. Much like those afflicted prior to and during the Civil Rights movement, these Japanese-Americans were judged, ridiculed, restricted, and outlawed on appearance alone.
Once these people were notified, they had six days to get rid of the majority of their possessions, and were only allowed "that which can be carried by the family or the individual." Most items were left to neighbors or sold below value. Evacuating Japanese American farmers were not allowed to delay their relocation to even harvest their crops, which resulted in a shortage of fruits and vegetables in California. "Japanese Americans grew 95 percent of the state's strawberries and one-third of the state's truck crops." (2). These people were no longer allowed to live their normal lives. Instead, they were sent away to these various camps, asking the question, "What is freedom?"
Life inside these camps was not glamorous. According to Reiko Oshima Komoto, who lived in the Topaz Detention Camp (see map), "Each block contained two rows of eight, tar-papered barracks, one-story, twenty by one hundred feet . . . Our sleeping quarters consisted of two large rooms (approximately 20' x 25'); metal cots, and army blankets. There was a pot bellied stove for heating." When describing the food provided, he said, "Each block also had a separate building for meals. I remember waiting in line to receive our food and lots of organ meats (kidney, liver and heart) being served. Food on the most part was not good depending on the cook's culinary skills and groceries allotted." (3)
Once they were allowed to leave the camps and return, there was an extremely large adjustment to make. Reiko Oshima Komoto describes, "Out of camp, school was foreign in many ways, including the usual things a student encounters going from elementary to junior high school. I also had the difficulty of entering after the school year had already started, and I missed many of the subjects that should have been presented from 3rd to 6th grade. I was afraid someone would create a scene and hatefully call me a Jap!!! I recall trying to walk on ice and hitting my head after a fall and falling down a few more times before arriving at school. I still have a scar on my head as a reminder. Adjustment to life outside the camp was difficult. I was afraid a great deal of the time. I didn't want to encounter incidents of prejudice. I became a timid and introverted person, which I've overcome as I've aged." (3). Komoto's life and personality changed as a result of these camps. He lived in constant fear in the many things he did, whether it be his schooling inside the camp, or adjusting outside the camp.
There were tens of thousands of people like Reiko Oshima Komoto, all forced to live their life following the unjust guidelines of the United States government. Much like those afflicted prior to and during the Civil Rights movement, these Japanese-Americans were judged, ridiculed, restricted, and outlawed on appearance alone.
Header image by Russel Lee. Used under CC0---(6)