National Japanese American Student Relocation Council

National Japanese American Student Relocation Council
Name	National Japanese American Student Relocation Council
Formation	1942
Dissolution	1946
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	William Hohri
Type	Nonprofit, civil rights organization
Region served	United States

National Japanese American Student Relocation Council. The National Japanese American Student Relocation Council emerged in 1942 as a response to the Executive Order 9066 removals affecting Japanese American communities on the West Coast, coordinating student transfers from Manzanar War Relocation Center, Topaz War Relocation Center, and Poston War Relocation Center to institutions including University of Chicago, Columbia University, and University of Washington. Its formation involved activists and leaders connected to JACL, American Friends Service Committee, and figures sympathetic in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois who navigated relationships with officials in Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration and advocates like Yoshi Sugiyama and Mike Masaoka.

Background and Formation

The council grew out of the wartime incarceration that followed Pearl Harbor attack and Executive Order 9066, when leaders from Japanese American Citizens League, Quakers, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews collaborated with educators at University of California, Berkeley, UCLA, and Stanford University to secure openings for displaced students. Key organizing moments intersected with communications involving representatives in Washington, D.C., outreach to philanthropic networks tied to Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Corporation, and meetings in Chicago and New York City that connected with administrators from Teachers College, Columbia University and Harvard University.

Objectives and Activities

The council aimed to relocate eligible students from concentration sites like Manzanar and Gila River War Relocation Center to colleges such as Amherst College, Barnard College, University of Michigan, and Smith College while obtaining clearances from officials in War Relocation Authority and letters of recommendation from community leaders including clergy from United Church of Christ and activists allied with American Civil Liberties Union. Activities included screening applicants, arranging transportation via Union Pacific Railroad and Santa Fe Railway, coordinating housing with host families in cities like Chicago, Boston, and Seattle, and liaising with campus groups such as Associated Students of the University of California, Student Christian Movement, and fraternities at Iowa State University.

Relationships with Government and Community Organizations

The council negotiated with agencies such as the War Relocation Authority, engaged with officials in Office of War Information, and faced scrutiny from elements within the Federal Bureau of Investigation while receiving intermittent support from civic organizations like Japanese American Citizens League, American Friends Service Committee, Quakers (Religious Society of Friends), and educational institutions including Columbia University and University of Chicago. Relationships also involved Jewish relief networks influenced by leaders from American Jewish Committee, coordination with the National Council of Churches, and interactions with municipal authorities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle as local school boards and university administrations assessed admissions and residency requirements.

Impact on Students and Education

Relocated students matriculated at campuses including University of Minnesota, University of California, University of Michigan, and University of Washington, contributing to wartime academic communities and interning with organizations such as Red Cross, War Production Board, and local settlement houses while sustaining cultural ties through groups like Japanese Christian Churches and student clubs linked to alumni networks at Stanford University and UCLA. Educational outcomes included degree completions, transfers to graduate programs at Columbia University and Harvard University, and participation in postwar civic movements involving veterans linked to the Nisei generation and later redress efforts connected to leaders who engaged with Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians.

Controversies and Criticism

Critics challenged the council over perceived cooperation with agencies such as the War Relocation Authority and questioned screening procedures that involved endorsements from figures like Mike Masaoka and some Japanese American Citizens League officials, provoking debate among activists aligned with Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Minoru Yasui who pursued legal challenges in courts including the Supreme Court of the United States. Conservative opponents in localities such as Eugene, Oregon and Seattle resisted placements, while some civil libertarians and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns about civil rights implications and the impact of relocation on family unity and community cohesion within Little Tokyo, Los Angeles and other neighborhoods.

Legacy and Historical Significance

The council's work influenced postwar discussions that involved the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, provided case studies for historians at institutions like Smith College, UCLA, and Columbia University, and shaped narratives in scholarship associated with figures such as Roger Daniels, Daniel Kanagawa, and Eric Muller. Its archival records are held in collections at repositories including Densho, Japanese American National Museum, and university archives at University of California, Berkeley and University of Washington, informing reparations debates, museum exhibits about Internment of Japanese Americans, and curricula in Asian American studies programs at University of California, Los Angeles and University of Minnesota. The council's role resonates in contemporary discussions involving civil liberties advocacy by organizations like Japanese American Citizens League and commemorations in communities such as Little Tokyo, Los Angeles and Japantown, San Francisco.

Category:Japanese American history Category:World War II organizations in the United States