The University of Southern California officially opened a rock garden on Friday to honor Japanese American students whose education was disrupted during World War II.
Eighty years ago, Nisei students, a term for people born in the U.S. to parents who immigrated from Japan, were forced out of school and into incarceration camps when the U.S. entered World War II. USC believes there were around 120 students attending the university at that time, CNN reports. Now, a Japanese rock garden is being dedicated to these students.
Jiro Oishi was a student at USC when he and his family were taken to the incarceration camps. Like many Nisei, Oichi was not allowed to continue education at the university after the war, according to ABC 7.
To escape the camps, some Nisei became soldiers and others tried to attend college, CNN reported. However, USC made it difficult for these students to continue their education.
“Now that they’re willing to acknowledge it, and speak to that, to me makes a big difference,” Joanne Kumamoto, Oishi’s daughter, said to ABC 7. “I think it brings a change to the university, and so that’s why I think it’s very appropriate.”
John Fujioka had a similar experience. Lawrence Fujioka, his son, told CNN that his father was forced to leave USC in 1942 when he was studying to become a dentist. However, he was forced to stay in the Santa Anita Assembly Center.
Lawrence Fujioka also added that USC withheld his father’s transcript when he was trying to reapply to another university, making it difficult for his father to go and finish dental school.
Ten years ago, USC awarded past Nisei students and awarded them their degrees, ABC 7 reported. John Fujioka was one of the posthumous degrees USC awarded in 2012.
USC also announced last November that they were apologizing for the university’s discriminatory practices such as withholding transcripts mentioned above.
Lawrence Fujioka said to CNN that although the apologies and acknowledgement are late, he is still pleased at the university’s actions.
“I feel proud of USC for what they’ve finally done. It’s a great university and my dad enjoyed his time there. I think he would be proud of what they did,” he said.
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Photo of USC here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:University_of_Southern_California_2_2019-05-05.jpg
