Few at San Jose State University are even aware the campus played a role in the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Many of those incarcerated from the area were ordered to report to campus for their evacuation.
Jimi Yamaichi who was 19 at the time was one of those who received that order, reports the Spartan Daily
Today he’s the director of the Japanese American Museum in San Jose. He’s teamed up with
Students for Public Arts as Social Justice to build support for a memorial to commemorate the University’s role in the incarceration.
“We were kind of shocked that nobody knew this,”
Megan Watson, a graduate student in applied anthropology, said.
“Luckily we had contacts with the Japanese-American Museum, so we were able to contact Jimi, and he’s been helping us to kind of think about ways to plan a memorial —some sort of recognition on campus that would recognize these events and inform students —because I think people need to know about this.” –
You can read more about their plans and the reaction of the University to the idea in the Spartan Daily.
