Katsu and Grace Miya papers, 1901-2008

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US government, by authority of Executive Order 9066, forced between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast into internment camps ostensibly due to a fear of fifth column support of the Axis powers. However, the internment is now considered to have been driven out "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership" (S 109, 100th Congress). Despite the intense racism they faced, many Japanese Americans, especially in Hawai'i, joined the US Armed Forces and eventually formed the 442nd Regimental Combat Unit, which became the most decorated regiment of WWII. During the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was passed, which granted $20,000 in reparations to surviving internees. President George H. W. Bush also sent letters of apology to the internees in 1991. This collection contains documents that shed light on the experiences of the Nisei before, during, and after the internment.