ISSUES OF RACISM AND ASSIMILATION Japanese Americans came to St. Louis with dreams similar to all others who had preceded them; the American dream to build a safe home and raise a family. After reviewing oral histories and interviews with Japanese Americans, I concluded that St. Louis offered a tolerant and hospitable environment during and following World War II. In an article printed in the St. Louis Globe Democrat on March 28, 1948, entitled “Justice Triumphs for Japanese Colony in St. Louis,” a young woman named Rose Ogino, who moved to St. Louis after the war from Tacoma, Washington, voices a common sentiment: “The people here are friendly,” Rose says, “and we have not encountered any prejudice. We live as we please.” Despite inevitable incidents of racism, the representatives and residents of St. Louis made this city a home for four hundred Japanese American families. The encouragement of Washington University and other area colleges helped students get out of the internment camps and back into the classroom. I have included incidents of racism and assimilation in the sections of oral histories I chose for this web site to present the full view of the political climate before and after the war. In an article entitled “Japanese Americans Call St. Louis A Friendly Haven,” published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on January 26, 1956, Richard Henmi describes St. Louis: “He decided to make his permanent home here he said, ‘because
the opportunities are better here, and because there is less prejudice
here- definitely a friendly feeling.’” |
LINKS TO SECTIONS OF ORAL HISTORIES ON RACISM AND ASSIMILATION:
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