Learning English and Tailoring Inside an Internment Camp

[Japanese Americana]: Kishi, Asako:

[Pair of Diplomas Earned by Asako Kishi While Interned at the Manzanar War Relocation Center].

[Manzanar, CA]: 1943. Two partially-printed documents, completed in manuscript, 11 x 14 inches and 9.5 x 12 inches, respectively. Minor wear, some creasing. Smaller diploma somewhat faded. Overall very good. Item #12995

An intriguing pair of relics from a sad moment in American history, but certainly emblematic of the resilience within the Japanese American community during the internment period. Each diploma was earned by an internee inside the Manzanar War Relocation Center named Asako Kishi, both in 1943. Kishi earned a certificate for the Manzanar Adult English Class on May 24, 1943. The certificate is signed by two administrators and two internees who were all involved in the Adult Education program inside the camp. The second diploma is dated December 20, 1943 and certifies Kishi for completing the Ladies' Course of Tailor Drafting and Designing from the Manzanar Tailoring School for Men and Women. It is also signed by two administrators and two internees, the latter two instructors in the Adult Education program. "Adult programs began in the fall of 1942 and continued into early 1945. The program peaked in early 1943 when some 1,500 adult students took English language, academic, and cultural classes" - Densho Encyclopedia. Evidence of adult educational opportunities within the various Japanese American concentration camps is decidedly rare.

Price: $550