Gaman is a Japanese word that means "to bear the seemingly unbearable with dignity and patience," which perfectly describes Japanese Americans during their inhumane treatment in the internment camps.
This book is dedicated to every person in the United States who has faced some sort of injustice and no protection under the law.
It was a beautiful Spring day in 1942. Aiko Ito was walking with her older sister, Akina to the nearby grocery store. They suddenly saw a group of people looking at a sign. The people looked frustrated, confused, and worried.
Aiko and Akina went to take a look. It was an evacuation order. It said that every person of Japanese descent must evacuate. Aiko and Akina could not believe it. Why would they be evacuated? They are Americans. Yes, they are Japanese Americans, but they are Americans.
A couple of months earlier, Aiko and her family started experiencing bad treatment due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They never thought they would be affected this much, they considered America to be their home.
Other Asian Americans would carry some sort of identification to show that they were not Japanese and many stood against them. Chinese Americans would wear buttons saying “I Am Chinese” and there would be signs like “This is a Chinese shop” outside stores. Aiko and her family had never experienced something like this, they didn’t know what to do.
Aiko and her family had one week to get rid of all of their things. They only kept what they could carry. This was more difficult for her parents, who had gone through so many obstacles to obtain their farm. The Ito farm located in the Santa Clara Valley was bright red with its apple orchards and the place where Aiko and Akina had spent most of their time playing and helping their dad.
Their dad tried to find someone to care for the family farm but couldn’t because of the little time they had. They had to sell the farm at a very low price to a Filipino man, a difficult task for Mr. Ito because the farm was one of his proudest accomplishments. The Ito family packed their bags with the most essential items and left.
They boarded a train and a bus, they were sent to Tule Lake. It was hot, dusty, and windy. The Ito family was assigned to one of the many barracks at the camp. They shared the small barrack with two other families.
At the relocation center, Aiko barely saw her family. Her sister Akina would eat and spend the day with her peers. Aiko would do the same with her group. The Ito family was no longer as close as it used to be.
Aiko and Akina attended school but because they did not have regular teachers, chairs, blackboards, paper, or books, it was shut down so the students could help harvest potatoes.
Aiko thought helping harvest potatoes would help her feel at home, that it would be like the times when she helped her dad at the family farm. Soon, Aiko saw that was not the case and stopped attending.
Aiko isolated herself. Her parents were busy in the farmland growing food, raising livestock, and socializing with other Issei. Akina spent her days with her new friends. Aiko started venturing as far as she could while staying within the parameters marked by the barbed wire. She collected newspapers, scraps of paper, broken pencils, rocks, and wood chips to create drawings and ornaments.
Aiko would create drawings and sketches of everyday life such as the long lines they always had to wait in. There was always waited in a long line for meals, showers, to receive shots, and to take loyalty questionnaires. For everything.
One evening Mr. Wakasa, an old Issei, brought in a stray dog into the camp. The people from the camp, especially Aiko, enjoyed the playful dog’s presence. On a cold winter day, Aiko was in her usual spot creating a sketch of the distant Mount Shasta covered in snow. That was when she saw Mr. Wakasa running after his dog. The dog went too far, beyond the barbed wire and the old man followed. Mr. Wakasa was told by a guard in the watchtower to not go beyond the fence. But Mr.Wakasa was an old man that couldn’t hear very well so he did not hear the guard’s warning. The guards from the watchtower shot him and he died.
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Gaman is a Japanese word that means "to bear the seemingly unbearable with dignity and patience," which perfectly describes Japanese Americans during their inhumane treatment in the internment camps.
This book is dedicated to every person in the United States who has faced some sort of injustice and no protection under the law.
It was a beautiful Spring day in 1942. Aiko Ito was walking with her older sister, Akina to the nearby grocery store. They suddenly saw a group of people looking at a sign. The people looked frustrated, confused, and worried.
Aiko and Akina went to take a look. It was an evacuation order. It said that every person of Japanese descent must evacuate. Aiko and Akina could not believe it. Why would they be evacuated? They are Americans. Yes, they are Japanese Americans, but they are Americans.
A couple of months earlier, Aiko and her family started experiencing bad treatment due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They never thought they would be affected this much, they considered America to be their home.
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