Commemorative Stamp of the Japanese-American Experience in WWII
Judy Chesley, Wasatch Range Writing Project
Summary:
Students will be able to express their feelings about the WWII Japanese experience, through writing and
art.
Objective:
Students will write a letter to the US Postmaster General nominating the Japanese-American experience
for a commemorative postage stamp. Context:
A 5th grade elementary classroom, easily adapted for grades 4 – 8
Materials:
• Writing paper
• Art paper (suggested size 8x8 / 6x6)
• Pencil
• Colored pencils or other medium
Time Span:
One or two class periods, or more as needed
Procedure:
1. Present a brief history of commemorative stamps:
More than 1,800 commemorative stamps have been issued since the first in 1893. In considering
subjects for commemorative stamps, the US Postal Service (USPS) Citizens’ Stamp Advisory
Committee, guided by 12 basic criteria, reviews and appraises the approximately 50,000
proposals submitted for commemoration each year. The Postmaster General (PMG) has the final
authority to determine both subject matter and design. A number of recommendations are
introduced in Congress every year urging that consideration be given to a particular subject for
commemoration, but few are passed. The commemorative stamp program contributed an
estimated $225.9 million in retained revenues for the USPS in 2005. Postage stamps were
introduced in 1847, but for a half century the designs were limited to images of Presidents and
founding fathers. The first commemorative postage stamp was issued in 1893 to mark the
Columbian Exposition of that year. The success of the Columbian stamp series prompted the Post
Office Department to continue offering stamps to commemorate historic events and places. Task:
1. Students will write a letter to the Postmaster General making a request that a stamp be issued
regarding the Japanese-American Experience of WWII.
2. Design a commemorative stamp for submission with each letter.
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Extensions:
• Display the stamps (with names on the back) in the classroom and have students vote for the
stamp of their choice. It may work best to narrow the entries down to the top three or five and
then take another vote. Have the student with the winning stamp read his or her letter to the class.
• Have students do research on the specific criteria for a commemorative stamp.
Rationale: Students will have an opportunity to express their understanding of the Japanese-American experience, as
well as observe the understanding of their peers.
Resources:
Kosar, Kevin R. “Commemorative Postage Stamps: History, Selection Criteria, and Revenue Potential.”
Congressionalresearch.com, n.d. Web. 26 July 2016.
Contact Information: [email protected]
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Helping the Team
Pat Lowe, Wasatch Range Writing Project
Summary:
Students will read about a young boy in a Japanese-American Internment camp who experienced a
situation which many students face today—being a helpful member of a baseball team. Students will
discuss their own experiences that evoked strong emotions and will find similarities with those of the boy
in the camp and others in the story. Students will do a piece of writing based on these experiences.
Objectives:
• Students will identify many, varied personal feelings.
• Students will associate emotions with passages from literature about the Japanese-American
experience during WWII.
• Students will write about their emotions in relation to challenges or relationships.
Context:
The lesson could be used to introduce students to the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during WWII.
It could be part of a health unit on self-confidence or relationships. Applicable for elementary, and could
be adapted or expanded for secondary students with additional texts.
Materials:
• Copy of book Baseball Saved Us
• Chart paper for word banks posted in the classroom
• Blank paper for drawing
• Individual student notebooks/journals
Time Span:
The material can be presented in multiple sessions of 30-45 minutes each, with time in between for
student reflection and writing.
Procedures:
1. Have students write many, varied words that show feeling. With younger students, this could be
done by the teacher on chart paper.
2. As a class, brainstorm different emotions and create a chart listing words which express them.
Encourage students to use a thesaurus to expand their lists.
3. Read Baseball Saved Us, including the introductory information about internment camps.
4. Discuss various feelings felt by the main character. Explore possible emotions felt by others in
the story, such as teammates, older individuals, and the man in the tower.
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5. Talk about personal experiences students have had that may have been similar. Discuss ways in
which students responded to the situation. How were they the same or different from the book?
6. Work through the writing process to help students complete a piece of written work about an
experience they found challenging. It could be a letter, journal entry, poem, song, or story.
7. As a class, orally share responses.
Extensions:
• Talk about the experience of living in a place the family has not chosen. What would be difficult?
How would the students feel? What things could they do to make the situation better?
• Have students evaluate the value of playing sports and being part of a team. Let them write a
letter of advice to someone who is just starting to be part of a team.
• Talk about the value and challenge of competitive sports or other competitions. Let students have
a debate to express opposing opinions.
Rationale:
Students face many competitive situations in their lives. Recognizing challenges faced by those interned
during WWII can help strengthen students’ self-confidence and resolve in dealing with their own lives.
Resources:
Mochizuki, Ken. Baseball Saved Us. New York: Lee & Low Books, 1993. Print
Contact Information: [email protected]
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Image Journal
Gwen Romero, Wasatch Range Writing Project
Summary:
Students create a journal including images, summaries, and reflections to process and personalize the
events/details in a work of literature.
Objectives:
Develop critical thinking skills through analyzing, synthesizing, and conceptualizing information.
Evaluate and internalize the Japanese-American experience through self-reflection.
Context:
A fourth- to eleventh-grade class. (See recommended works.)
Materials:
• Journey to Topaz (grade 4 to 7) or Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family
(grade 8 to 11); both by Yoshiko Uchida
• Image Journal Assignment handout
• Pens/pencils, colored pencils, and paper (Students may choose to use a memo book or sketchpad.)
Time Span:
Approximately two weeks (length of time to study novel or memoir)
Procedures:
1. Day 1: Introduce author and work (brief background). Introduce the assignment by reviewing
the Image Journal Assignment handout with the class.
2. Begin reading book, together or individually. Have students mark their places when you have 10
minutes of class time remaining. Have a student summarize what has happened so far. Have
others share their thoughts/feelings/themes. Then, have students suggest possible images for this
chapter. Each student should have the first entry ready to share at the start of class the following
day.
3. Day 2: Have students share entries, leading into class discussion. Students should write
discussion notes on back of entry or on the following page.
4. Continue daily with journal sharing and discussion until finished with book.
Follow up: Each student selects one thread from his/her journal (theme, symbolism, etc., the student
wrote about/referred to in multiple entries/notes) for the formal paper. Formal paper may be
informational, argumentative, or analytical, depending on the needs of your class.
Note: I check journals half-way through the unit, while students are working on small-group
discussion questions, and at the end of the unit. Journals are graded on the quality of responses to the
literature, the quality of the images/photos, and the additional notes from class discussion.
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Extensions:
• Have students write alternate entries as if they were incarcerated in the camp (first person).
• Have students research and share other first-person accounts from this event.
Rationale:
Having students incorporate imagery into written responses appeals to visual learners and strengthens
personal connections for all students, while challenging them to evaluate the text in a symbolic mode. Resources:
Janm.org. Japanese American National Museum, n.d. Web. 19 Jul 2016.
Tunnell, Michael O. and George W. Chilcoat. The Children of Topaz: The Story of a Japanese American
Internment Camp. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace, 2011. Print.
Contact Information: [email protected] 2016 – 2017
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Image Journal Assignment
While reading, you will be required to keep an image journal—a combination of sketches about and
written responses to the book. You will be required to make an entry for each chapter and the epilogue.
You may use lined paper, a tablet, or a sketchbook. Each entry should include the following: title, key
image (sketch of memorable detail or scene or photo from a magazine or the Internet), two-sentence
synopsis, and observations (see below).
Observations: The written entries should focus on your response to the literature and should include
comments about your thoughts and feelings while reading; questions for class discussion; notes on
characters, mood, and themes; and connections to your own life/experiences and current events. Each
chapter entry should be at least the equivalent of a half a page of standard notebook paper. In order to
show depth and understanding, vary your entries. On the back of each entry, or on another page, you are expected to include additional notes and
observations from class discussion. You will use these notes to write a formal paper.
Your final journal should include a cover that includes the book title and author, your name, and a
design/sketch/image that conceptualizes a central theme.
First journal check: ______________________________________________ (date)
Final journal: ___________________________________________________ (date)
Includes entries for all chapters and the epilogue as well as discussion notes
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The Japanese-American Experience WWII
Judy Chesley, Wasatch Range Writing Project
Summary:
Students have the opportunity to experience briefly what the Japanese-American experience of WWII was
like.
Objective:
Students will have an understanding of what going to an assembly center might have been like.
Context:
A 5th grade elementary classroom, easily adapted for grades 4 – 8 (It is recommended that you obtain permission from your principal as well as parents of your students.)
Materials:
• Masking tape
• Measuring tape
• Table
• Ziploc bags (gallon size)
• Writing paper
• Pencil
Time Span:
One day (elementary), one or two class periods (upper grades)
Procedures:
1. The day before the activity, explain to students there will be changes made to the next day’s
curriculum, not letting them know about the specific activity.
2. Have students group into “families” of four to six and make a list of family groups.
3. Explain to students they need to come to class tomorrow with anything they think they will need
for the school day or period.
4. After school, move all desks and chairs, tape off equal sections for each family and number each
section. This will also be the number assigned to each family.
5. Set up a table where families will check in. This will also be the place where all “contraband” is
taken (electronics, phones, snacks, gum, etc.) and put items in a Ziploc bag with their family
number on the bag.
6. Tell families to find their apartment and wait for further instructions.
7. After everyone has checked in, have them stand at the front of their apartment for roll call. The
roll call will be given as the number of members in their family. This can be done multiple times
during the day.
8. Have students continue with their school day or class period, but give them only one sheet or half
a sheet of paper (all classwork will be done on this paper). Give them a pencil with no eraser. Do
not make things easy for them.
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Task:
• Students will all participate in the activity, completing assignments given.
• Write a journal entry about their experience as if they had really been taken to an assembly
center.
Extensions: for elementary; adaptations would need to be made for upper grades
• Have students walk a mile around the school track carrying their backpacks and other items they
may have brought, before coming into the building.
• Rather than regular recess, have them walk the track again or collect trash left on the playground
when there are no other students present.
• Serve rice and chicken broth for lunch rather than eating a school or home lunch.
• Invite someone in uniform to participate in this activity.
Rationale: Students will have a realistic introduction to the WWII experiences of Japanese-Americans.
Resources:
Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family. Seattle: University of
Washington, 1982. Print.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey to Topaz. Berkeley: Creative Arts Book Company, 1985. Print.
Contact Information: [email protected]:[email protected]
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The Japanese-American Internment: Right or Wrong?
Natalie Wilson, Wasatch Range Writing Project
Summary:
Students will be able to discuss how we judge and label people who are different from us. Students will
be able to discuss ways to help prevent mistreatment of others.
Objectives:
• Students will learn about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and will
then discuss the question of whether or not this action was justified.
• Students will write a persuasive paper supporting their belief.
• Students will discuss how they can support people they know whose rights are threatened.
Context:
Could be adapted to any grade level
Materials:
• Notebooks or journals
• Introductory materials about the Japanese-American Internment that came with the Weber Reads
packet (should be in school library)
• Copy of Desert Exile
Time Span:
One 45-minute class period
Procedures:
1. Discuss the Japanese-American Internment using information from the introductory materials in
the Weber Reads packet that should be in your library. Have students do a quick write on their
feelings about this time in our country’s history.
2. Discuss students’ writing and thoughts about this part of our history.
3. Discuss students’ feelings on this subject. Divide them into two groups based on their feelings.
Was the internment justified or not justified?
4. Give students the following quote:
I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.
Mother Teresahttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/838305.Mother_Teresa
Have them do a quick write about this and then discuss as a class how people can help prevent
situations that are unjust.
5. Have students write a persuasive letter to the editor based on what side they are on. If they felt
the Japanese-American Internment was not justified, their letter should try to persuade the
government not to force these people into camps. If they felt it was justified, they would also
need to discuss why they agree with the government on this issue.
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6. Discuss the following excerpt from Desert Exile:
Today I would not allow my civil rights to be denied without strong protest, and I believe there
would be many other Americans willing to stand beside me in protest. (Uchida, 1982, 149)
Encourage students to think about how they can stand up for the rights of people or students in
their schools or neighborhoods.
Extensions:
• Students could do a quick write on the following quote by Maya Angelou:
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History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, but if faced With courage, need not be lived again.
Students can do a compare and contrast with the Japanese-American Internment and aspects of
our current political situation.
Discuss the following excerpt from Desert Exile:
“Why did you let it happen?” they ask of the evacuation. “Why didn’t you fight for your civil
rights? Why did you go without protest to the concentration camps?” They were right to ask
these questions, for they made us search for some obscured truths and come to a better
understanding of ourselves and of those times. They are the generation for whom civil rights
meant more than just words. They are the generation who taught us to celebrate our ethnicity and
discover our ethnic pride. Their compassion and concern for the aging Issei resulted in many
worthwhile programs for all Japanese Americans. It is my generation, however, who lived
through the evacuation of 1942. We are their link to the past and we must provide them with the
cultural memory they lack. We must tell them all we can remember, so they can better understand
the history of their own people. As they listen to our voices from the past, however, I ask that they
remember they are listening in a totally different time; in a totally changed world. (Uchida, 1982,
148)
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Students could do a reflective essay on the following poem by Yoshiko Uchida:
Plate in hand,
I stand in line,
Losing my resolve
To hide my tears
I see my mother
In the aged woman
who comes,
And I yield to her
My place in line.
Four months have passed,
And at last I learn
To call this horse stall
My family’s home. (Uchida, 1982, 83)
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Rationale:
Students will need to interact with others their entire lives. They are going to find many people that are
different or have different values than they do. Students will learn the importance of tolerance and respect
for others even if they are different.
Resources:
Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family. Seattle: University of
Washington, 1982. Print.
Contact Information: [email protected]
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Sticks and Stones
Pat Lowe, Wasatch Range Writing Project
Summary: This lesson will help students understand the power of words and emotion in the context of historical or
contemporary situations. Texts about the internment of Japanese-Americans will give examples of human
emotion and interaction. Students will understand that people of all ages, in any era, share common
feelings and validate their own diverse emotions. Thoughtful discussion will lead to an understanding of
appropriate ways to express feelings, resolve conflicts and avoid discrimination. The general procedure
could be used with many texts or situations.
Objectives: • Incorporate affective learning into language arts and social studies.
• Offer students an opportunity to explore non-violent ways to respond to hurtful words and
actions.
Context:
This lesson could be used as part of a study of World War II or in connection with the study of
relationships and emotional health. It would be appropriate for upper elementary and secondary students.
Materials: • Books from the Resources list
• Timeline of the Japanese-American Experience in World War II (included with lessons)
• Copies of selected passages: individual sheets, posters, or pages to be projected on a screen
• Large sheets of poster paper for display in the classroom
• Paper or individual student notebooks/journals
Time Span: The material can be presented in multiple sessions of 30–45 minutes each, with time in between for
student reflection and writing.
Procedures:
1. Students will write in their journals words for various feelings associated with name calling and
discrimination.
2. As a class, list ideas on large pages of chart paper. Identify categories among the emotions listed,
and expand the vocabulary of terms.
3. Discuss times and situations where particular feelings result in name calling and exclusion.
4. Summarize the situation in the states along the Pacific Coast after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941. Discuss examples of discrimination, unpleasant terms used, and the reasons
behind negative behaviors.
5. Read selections from texts or handouts as appropriate for the age and experience of the students.
6. Identify ways in which Japanese-Americans responded to their circumstances. The responses may
be aggressive, passive, constructive, resigned or accepting. Brainstorm phrases which might be
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typical of each kind of response: “You’re mean; I hate you.” “It’s no use. I’m no good.” “Why
do you feel that way? What can we do to be friends?” “Shikata ga nai.” “Oh, well. That’s the
way s/he is.”
7. As a class, or in small groups, discuss the effectiveness of different attitudes and behaviors
regarding discrimination.
8. Analyze situations in current society that provoke verbal or physical reactions. Depending on the
age of the students, it might be classroom or playground environments, drive-by shootings, racial
conflicts or terrorist activity. Explore alternative, non-violent ways to respond.
9. Let students reflect and write about themselves; perhaps they have experienced or know of
discrimination at school or in their neighborhood. They may have absent family members, or fear
war and violence.
10. Have students write about an experience with one of the situations or feelings identified on the
chart. The format might be a poem, rap, essay, diary entry or letter and response in a newspaper
advice column. Encourage them to identify a positive approach to resolving the incident.
Extensions:
• Ask students to reflect in their journals about why they selected a particular product format.
• Allow students to role play an incident from the texts or contemporary life.
• In their journals, have students identify emotions felt by various individuals in the texts. Ask
students to write a series of letters between two individuals or characters.
• Have students write a response to one of the following prompts:
o Name calling is…
o Individuals in WWII camps are like/not like me because…
• Let students debate various non-violent responses identified by class members.
Rationale:
In the past, children were taught to respond to discrimination and name calling with the little mantra
“sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Contemporary philosophy
contends words can have an extremely harmful effect, and individuals need strategies to govern their
reactions. The treatment of Japanese-Americans in the United States after Pearl Harbor is rich in
possibilities for examining types of discrimination, and individual decisions about how to respond.
Resources:
Faulkner, Matt. Gaijin: American Prisoner of War. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2014. Print.
Mochizuki, Ken. Baseball Saved Us. New York: Lee & Low Books, 1993. Print.
Patt, Beverly. Best Friends Forever: A World War II Scrapbook. Las Vegas: Amazon Publishing, 2010.
Print.
Tunnell, Michael O., and George W. Chilcoat. The Children of Topaz: The Story of a Japanese-American
Camp, Based on a Classroom Diary. Holiday House, 1996. CreateSpace, 2011. Print.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family. Seattle: University of
Washington Press, 1982. Print.
Contact Information: [email protected]
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Annotations for Resource books
Baseball Saved Us. The book is written in an autobiographical style, however the author was born in
1954. Playing baseball in the internment camps gave adults and children work to prepare the field and
bleachers, as well as the recreational aspect of the game itself. The main character experienced both
ridicule and growth through playing baseball.
Best Friends Forever. Through letters between friends, two girls maintained their friendship and were
able to express their feelings. Dottie is told by her elders, “shikata ga nai” which means “It cannot be
helped,” or “Make the best of it” (p. 31, 34). An elderly woman teaches her traditional Japanese customs,
the way to sit, and to make origami flowers (p. 20, 24, 25, 66). Dottie made a garden of flowers to give to
her grandfather even though he had been critical of her (p. 66). Louise faces anti-Japanese feelings at
home in San Francisco (p. 32), and volunteers by reading to wounded soldiers and knitting socks (p. 28,
43, 54).
The Children of Topaz. Even while being held as virtual prisoners, Japanese-American internees tried
to live life with dignity and normalcy. Children attended school, joined the Junior Red Cross, supported
war bonds and stamps (p. 18), pledged allegiance to the US flag (p. 19), and adults grew gardens (p. 61),
had activity groups such as kabuki theater (p. 35), built baseball diamonds and formed teams (p. 43).
Desert Exile. Mr. Uchida responded politely to a delegation from the neighborhood association who
came, not to welcome them to the neighborhood, but to ask them to leave (p. 4). After arriving in Topaz,
he set about finding the most pressing needs and alleviating them where possible. One of his daughters
started a nursery school, and the other taught elementary school. The internees considered education of
vital importance (p. 120), and also tried to maintain traditional values and customs (p. 127).
Gaijin. Koji Mujamoto was an outcast in San Francisco because he was half Japanese; in camp he was
bullied and called names because he was half white. At first he reacted with anger and physical
retaliation; in camp he was made to steal items for a gang of Japanese-American youth. A family friend,
Mr. Yoshi Asai, offered to help Koji pay for a broken window, and urged him to use an attitude of
“shikata ga nai,” saying, “Forget about them, Koji.” Mr. Asai chooses to help Koji avoid the gang and
stay out of trouble.
“Go For Broke” (Excerpts)
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"No loyal citizen of the United States should be denied the democratic right to exercise the responsibilities of
his citizenship, regardless of his ancestry. The principle on which this country was founded and by which it
has always been governed is that Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart; Americanism is not, and
never was, a matter of race or ancestry."
(President Franklin D. Roosevelt, February 1, 1943 upon activating the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.")
When the 100th Infantry Battalion began training at Camp McCoy in June, 1942 its soldiers faced
prejudice, suspicion and distrust, not only from other soldiers but from highly placed military and
political leaders as well. Even as the unit's training began, the War Department announced it wouldn't
"accept for service with the armed forces, Japanese or persons of Japanese extraction, regardless of
citizenship status or other factors." (Jun 17, 1942) The progress of the 100th led to new dialog about the
formation of a Japanese American unit, but on September 14, 1942 it was announced that the call for such
a unit had been rejected "because of the universal distrust in which they (the Japanese Americans) are
held."
The recruits at Camp McCoy were aware of the prejudice and mis-trust, but most were not aware just
how deeply felt it was in the higher echelons of the military command. Some of the all white officers and
NCOs assigned to train them were schooled in psychology and were planted among them to test not only
their physical and military abilities, but their loyalty. After the war, reports surfaced of daily reports not
only on the progress of the unit, but on the loyalty and suitability for service of individual soldiers,
surreptitiously sent to higher echelons from clandestine mail drops.
No one could have predicted the wide ranging impact of these ill-conceived reports. Designed to "weed
out" the untrustworthy Nisei soldiers and validate resistance to an all Japanese military unit, the
patriotism and dedication of the soldiers of the 100th had the opposite effect. During the training phase, 5
recruits of the 100th received the Soldier's Medal for their heroism in rescuing several local civilians who
almost drowned on a frozen Wisconsin lake. On October 31st, 1942 twenty-six members of Bravo
Company, 100th Infantry Battalion left Camp McCoy under a "secret transfer" to Cat Island where, for 5
months they served as "bait" in training attack dogs for use in "sniffing out" Japanese soldiers in the
Pacific theater. This experiment was based upon the supposed assumption that dogs could locate enemy
soldiers hidden in the caves and jungles of the Pacific, based on the Japanese' purported "unique
scent". During this tenure, another member of the 100th earned a Soldier's Medal, and two received the
Legion of Merit. By the time the men of the 100th finished their basic military training in December and prepared to
ship out to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for advanced training, the young Nisei had given military and
political leaders more than ample reason to see the error of their earlier doubts, suspicion and
prejudice. On February 1, 1943 President Roosevelt announced the formation of an all JapaneseAmerican military unit, composed of volunteers from Hawaii and the mainland. The new unit would be
designated the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, but would go down in history based upon the unit's
motto:
"Go For Broke"
http://homeofheroes.com/moh/nisei/index3_442nd.html.Web.AccessedJuly16,2016.
ThewebsitecontinueswithanaccountofrecruitsfromHawaii.Withinthe442ndtherewas
discriminationbetweentheNiseirecruitsfromtheWestCoast,andthosefromHawaii.“…the recruits
from Hawaii [were called] buddhaheads, from a Japanese word meaning "pighead". The
Hawaiians responded by calling the mainlanders kotonks, a term meaning "stone head" based upon
a Japanese word used to signify the sound of an empty coconut hitting the ground.”
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Oral History (Excerpts)
Narrator: Harue Mae Ninomiya
Date: August 15, 2000
Transcription: Caseman Thompson
Interviewer: Stacy Lumbach
Place: Portland, Oregon
Edited by Donna Sinclair
SL: How did the first news of the war effect your family when it started? MN: In 1941, we were leasing the food stand and we decided that we would like to build a house because
we were living in back of the food stand in very small quarters. On November 11th, 1941, my brother was
able to get a loan to build a house so, Mr. Ted Aslar began to build the house when war was declared. We
proceeded because we had the loan and the foundation was up. It was just in the beginning stages.
On February 19, 1942, president Roosevelt declared 9066. That was the time that we knew we could no
longer stay in our home or do business. At that time, my brother and I were of legal age and were citizens.
We did not think that we would be taken. We just thought that our two younger brothers, who were
minors, and our father and mother, who were aliens, would be sent some place. My brother and I thought
that we could continue to have the store and operate it but that was not the case. We all had to evacuate.
As time went on, things got more heated in the war, and so we had to leave. I was very bitter about the
evacuation. SL: Can you describe your first impressions of being at Minodoka? MN: Nothing was growing, it was sage country. The wind and sand blew during storms. We were bussed
into Minodaka from the train and we saw Army barracks, row after row of them. That was going to be our
home. We saw the familiar guard tower with men holding guns at their side. The assembly-expo center
also had guards and towers. We knew we would be in the same situation. It was very desolate. I thought,
"Oh God, I'm not going to stay here very long." So, I went to the employment department and tried to find
a job to go out. As long as you had a job, through an approved employer, you were able to leave the
camp. . . SL: On your way back to Portland, what kind of expectations did you have for your return? MN: We knew we had to open the store because we had given the people we had leased to a date of
September 1st to give up the store. Also, we had leased the store. So, our plans were to just open up the
store and carry on until my brothers were able to return. SL: What was it like opening up the store? MN: That was a nightmare because we had seen the people who had been our customers and we did not
know how they would react to our opening. While we were stocking the store, some people said that they
might not patronize the store because many were anti-Japanese. So, we faced that and the job of stocking
the store. . .
In the meantime, one of my brothers came back in his uniform. Customers would ask, "Where is the rest
of your family?" Because they knew that I had more brothers. Our sales really boosted from the fact that
my brother was in the service and that he had returned. . .
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It was a trying time. My dad had faith. He said, "We just have to wait for time. There is a time for
everything," and that our customers would come back. It was when my brothers came that we began to do
business that was profitable enough to make a living. So, even to this day, it has had a dramatic change in
people's attitudes because they were heroic and had been applauded for their distinguished service. My
brother was in the 442nd and the 100th battalion, which are the famous units of service. I really think that
at first I thought, "Why did we return? Why do we have to face discrimination?"
Through it all, my father was the one that said things would get better. Of course he had faced other
obstacles in his lifetime. He came here at 18 years old and worked in railroads and such. He has told me
the story that he was working the railroad in Eastern Oregon around Bend or Baker. He said their food
was so poor that he didn't have much nourishment so at night he would try to read a letter that he had
gotten from my mother (He married my mother later by proxy). He said that his eyes were so weak that
he could not read the letter. That's the kind of living he had gone through, so he said, "This is nothing
compared to what I have gone through." Even though I became discouraged, he was never discouraged.
He said, "We are living in America where there are still opportunities." And I think that to this day that
my father was the stability that carried us through. Since I was 25 or 26 years old, I had never went
through all of the disappointments and such that he had to go through. So, I didn't know what it was all
about until I had faced it. Evacuation was one thing but trying to do business was another obstacle that I
had to face . . .
©2016 Center for Columbia River History. All rights reserved. All wrongs reversed. WashingtonState
UniversityVancouver-Portland State University - Washington State Historical Society. Web. Accessed
July 11, 2016. <www.ccrh.org/comm/slough/oral/mninomiya.php>.
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“Shikata ga nai” (Excerpts)
By Rev. Ryuta Furumoto, San Mateo Buddhist Temple
The Japanese phrase “Shikata ga nai,” or “shoganai” is often used among Japanese and Japanese
Americans. “Shikata ga nai” means “It’s beyond my control, so it cannot be helped.” I find myself saying,
“Shikata ga nai” at least once a day. When I am late for a meeting because of traffic, when I talk to a
person who lost a family member, or when my investments go down in value, I say “shikata ga nai.”
Traffic, illness, the stock market, etc. are beyond my control, so they cannot be helped. It’s useless to
spend time complaining over what we cannot control. By saying “Shikata ga nai” instead of complaining,
we can accept a bad situation and then try to find a solution to deal with the problem.
American journalists often comment on the expression “Shikata ga nai” when writing about
difficult situations in Japan. They tended to interpret the expression as a loser’s mentality that ran counter
to the “never give up” spirit; however, about ten years ago, they began referring to “Shikata ga nai” as a
positive phrase for overcoming difficulties. In a recent column in the New York Times, the writer talks
about the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Northeastern Japan mentioned
how it seemed the “Shikata ga nai” perspective helped the victims endure the hardships and focus on the
recovery process.
A few years ago, there was an article in the Japan Times about the Japanese people’s longevity.
The writer theorized that the “Shikata ga nai” perspective helped to keep blood pressure down, and
therefore contributed to their longer life expectancy.
“Shikata ga nai” is an acceptance of the situation as it is, and making the best of the bad situation,
which I feel enabled the Issei and Nisei generations to persevere. When they were sent to internment
camps, they said “Shikata ga nai, It cannot be helped.” At the camps, they cultivated the desert soil,
educated their children, created Japanese gardens and built ponds in front of their barracks, cleared away
the brush to make baseball diamonds, etc.
After the internment many discovered that all of their property was lost, but again with a sigh of
“Shikata ga nai”, they began to rebuild their lives and helped guide their children to becoming successful
and responsible members of society.
Today more people have come to understand “Shikata ga nai” as a positive idea due to the
increase in Buddhism’s influence and popularity in this country…. Stating that “Life is suffering” sounds
very pessimistic, but identifying the truth of the human condition is a very valuable and compassionate
act. If the teachings emphasized that “Life is fun”, it would cause us to despair at being otherwise, which
is an unkind act. In our everyday life experiences we encounter situations beyond our control, like
tsunami, economic downturns, loss of loved one, aging, etc. Fortunately as Jodo Shinshu Buddhists we
are made aware of being grasped never to be abandoned in Oneness with Amida Buddha who embraces
our “Shikata ga nai” life as we are. This true mind of acceptance of the challenges of our life of duhkha
expressed as “Shikata ga nai,” and our powerlessness against that which we cannot control, is the working
of the Nembutsu…[and] we are able to accept that regardless of what happens in our lives, we can feel
deep gratitude and joy for all of the events in our lives as contributing to that awakening.
With “Shikata ga nai,” and “Namoamidabutsu,” we live with peace and tranquility.
http://buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/%e2%80%9cshikata-ga-nai%e2%80%9d/. Web. Accessed
6/12/2016
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To Forgive
Jana Patchett, Wasatch Range Writing Project
Summary:
In this lesson, students will discuss what injustice means, write a short personal narrative about a time
they were treated unfairly, discuss how forgiveness moves them from being a victim to forgiving.
Objective/Introduction:
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Students will write a personal narrative.
Students will discuss the terms injustice and forgiveness to better understand what these terms
mean and how they apply to their personal lives today.
Students will write a forgiveness letter.
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Context: This activity will have students take a look at a personal experience with injustice and how to move from
feeling like a victim to forgiving. It is intended for grades 7-12, but can easily be adapted for upper
elementary classes.
Materials:
• Paper and writing utensils
• Copies of The Experience of Injustice: A Personal Narrative Student Worksheet (optional;
attached)
• Copies of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988
• Copies of the Forgiveness Letter Outline (attached)
Time Span: Two to three 45-minute class periods Procedures:
1. As a class, come up with a working definition of injustice. a. Dictionary.com defines injustice as:
i. The quality or fact of being unjust; inequity
ii. Violation of the rights of others; unjust or unfair action or treatment
iii. An unjust or unfair act; wrong
2. Have students think about the following questions (see attachment for student worksheet)
a. Think about an injustice you have experienced in your own life. Briefly describe what
happened.
b. How did you feel?
c. How did you respond (what did you say/do)?
d. How has that incident affected you?
e. How did it change the way you saw yourself and others?
3. Partner students together. Give each partner two minutes to tell his or her story to the other.
After telling both stories, have students then write their stories down. a. Allow 10-15 minutes for a quick draft.
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b. Have one partner read his or her story to the other partner with the partner asking
questions and helping to add details that were given in the original telling but left out of
the writing (about 10 minutes).
c. Switch partners.
d. Allow time for stories to be developed and completed.
e. Optional activity: publically share finalized stories.
4. As a class, read through the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. a. Talk about what the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 gave to the Japanese-Americans who
were interned during this time period.
i. Did they receive fair compensation?
ii. What would you consider fair compensation?
iii. Do you feel like the American Government apologized appropriately?
b. Discuss the term forgiveness. Come to a working definition of the word.
i. What would need to happen for you to forgive the person(s) who treated you
unjustly?
ii. What does forgiveness do for you?
iii. What does forgiveness do to the person(s) who treated you badly?
5. Have students write a letter of forgiveness following the forgiveness letter outline. Extensions:
• Do an individual close read of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Have students write a found poem
using only the words that are the most repeated in the document.
• Bind Experiences of Injustice stories and Forgiveness Letters in a class anthology.
• Send the forgiveness letters. Do a special send-off where you release the letters using helium
balloons or another creative way. Rationale:
This activity gives the students opportunity to explore their feelings of being a victim and then forgiving.
In today’s society, learning to forgive and move on is a skill that needs to be discussed and taught so that
something like the Japanese Internment camps don’t happen again.
Resources:
American Psychiatric Association. Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Patients with Eating
Disorders (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000. Print.
“Experiences of Injustice.” Boston: Voices of Love and Freedom/Facing History and Ourselves, 1999.
PDF.
Contact Information: [email protected]
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Experience of Injustice: A Personal Narrative
Student Worksheet
Directions: Use the following questions to make notes about an injustice you have experienced in your
life. Use the notes to tell your story to a partner and then to write your story on another piece of paper.
This piece of writing will be publically shared in the classroom.
1. Briefly describe the injustice.
2. When and where did it happen?
3. How old were you?
4. How did you feel?
5. How did you respond (say/do)?
6. How has this incident changed how you see yourself?
7. How has this incident changed how you see others?
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Forgiveness Letter Outline
Directions: Write a letter to the person(s) who hurt you following the emotion iceberg below.
With each level, express your feelings using at least one sentence per emotion. This letter is
personal, and you don’t have to share it. Anger Blame/Resentment
Hurt
Sadness/Disappointment
Fear
Insecurity/Wounds
Regret
Understanding/Responsibility
Intention
Solutions/Wishes
Love
Forgiveness/Appreciation
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Letter Example
Dear A,
I am angry that you took my ice cream cone when we were at B’s birthday party two years ago. I blame
you for taking away the opportunity I had to enjoy the treat. I resent you for taking more than your share
and making me not enjoy the rest of the party.
I am hurt because I thought we were best friends, and then you didn’t act the way a best friend should. I
am sad because I really like chocolate ice cream, and you made me lose the chance at an ice cream cone
and broke our friendship. I am disappointed that my best friend would treat me this way.
I am afraid that the friends I have will turn out to treat me rudely like you have. I feel insecure about my
ability to judge the character of people I consider my friend. I am wounded by not being able to have
close friends.
I regret that you and I are no longer friends because I can no longer trust you to treat me with respect. I
understand that friendship needs to be based on mutual trust. I take responsibility for not talking to you
sooner about why I am upset and why I feel I can no longer be your friend.
I intend to make better friends and be better at expressing my needs to them. I would like to solve this
problem by talking to you about how I understand friends should treat each other. There is a video I
watched when I was little that I would like to share with you – it’s a bit silly since it was written for little
kids, but it is how I define friendship and I think it explains it better than I can. I wish you would watch it
with me.
I love that you and I were friends for eight years. I forgive you for taking the ice cream cone from me. I
appreciate you always making me laugh before this incident.
Sincerely,
C
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Vocabulary for the Japanese-American Experience WWII
Judy Chesley, Wasatch Range Writing Project
Summary:
Students will have an understanding of terms relating to the WWII Japanese-American experience.
Objective:
Students will be able to improve their understanding of the vocabulary by displaying the word and
definition, using the word in a complete sentence, and illustrating their sentence.
Context:
A fifth grade elementary classroom, easily adapted for grades 4 – 8
Materials:
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List of vocabulary words and definitions
Paper, vocabulary notebook, or journal
Pencil and colored pencils
Dictionary
Time Span:
One or two class periods, or more as needed
Procedures:
1. Explain to students that in order to understand the many concepts in this unit, they need to have a
working knowledge of these terms.
2. Students may be assigned the entire list of words or each student may be assigned a word that
they will share with the class when completed. All students will enter the words presented in
their own list of vocabulary.
3. Students may work alone, with a partner, or with a small group of three or four in solving this
task.
Task:
1. Students will each have their own record of the unit’s vocabulary.
a. Have each student fold the paper in half so they have two columns, then use a ruler to darken
the center line.
b. Use the left side for writing the word, definition, and sentence.
c. Use the right side of the paper for their illustration/thumbnail sketch.
d. When finished with each word, have them use a ruler to frame off each word as completed.
Alien…Foreign-born person: not a citizen
Illustration for alien might be a person holding
an American Flag. These are thumbnail
sketches which are simple, but done neatly and
colored.
(Suggested format)
Many of the people taken to the camps were not
aliens, they were born in the United States.
(Suggested format)
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Terms and Definitions
Issei………………….. First-generation Japanese immigrants who left Japan to move to the
United States. Many people in this generation were born during the late
1800s through the early 1900s.
Nisei…………………. Second-generation, US born children of Issei.
Sansei………………... Third-generation Japanese-Americans.
Yonsei……………….. Fourth-generation Japanese-Americans.
Alien………………… Foreign-born person; not a citizen.
Assembly centers……. Guarded, temporary detention centers where Japanese-Americans were
held during World War II until more permanent camps could be
established.
Concentration camp….. Guarded compound for the imprisonment or detention of groups for
political reasons. The concentration camps that confined JapaneseAmericans during WWII are sometimes referred to as “internment
camps” or “relocation centers.”
Discrimination……….. Treatment or consideration of a person or group based on prejudgment
rather than merit.
Executive Order 9066…Order issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942,
which gave authorities the power to exclude persons from designated
areas; this resulted in the movement of people of Japanese ancestry from
the West Coast.
Prejudice…………….. An unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without reason,
knowledge, or thought.
Propaganda………….. Material that spreads ideas to intentionally help a cause or hurt an
opposing cause.
Racism………………. Belief that one race is superior to another.
Exile………………… A period of forced absence from one’s country or home.
Ineligible……………. An individual who is not allowed to do or be something.
Contraband………….. Goods that are illegal or prohibited.
Communal…………... Something shared or used in common by members of a group or
community.
Vociferous………….. The expressing of feelings or opinions in a very loud or forceful way.
Avaricious…………... One who is greedy or making gain at the expense of others.
Extensions:
Have students write either a letter to a friend or President Roosevelt, a poem, a newspaper article, etc.,
using a certain number of the vocabulary words, expressing their feelings about the Japanese-American
experience.
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Rationale:
Vocabulary is central to learning any language. Without sufficient vocabulary knowledge, students
cannot understand what they read and what others say, or express their own ideas.
Resources:
Illustrated Vocabulary for the Japanese American Experience During World War II. Japanese American
National Museum, n.d. Web. 20 July 2016. <http://media.janm.org/projects/ec/pdf/ED-UT-Bakerand-Edwards-Lesson2.pdfmedia.janm.org/projects/ec/pdf/EC-UT-Baker-and-Edwards-Lesson2.pdf>.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family. Seattle: University of
Washington Press, 1982. Print.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey to Topaz: A Story of the Japanese-American Evacuation. Berkeley: Creative
Arts Book Company, 1985. Print.
Contact Information: [email protected]
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