Events

The forced eviction and confinement of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor in 1941 was one of the worst civil rights violations of the twentieth century, and the repercussions were numerous. The effect in Minnesota was dramatic: only fifty-one Japanese American people lived in the state in 1940, but by war's end there were several thousand. Drawing on personal interviews, archival sources, and historical literature, scholar and professor Ka Wong explores the courageous struggles of trailblazers who left the incarceration camps and rebuilt their lives in the North Star State, overcoming hostility and hardship along the way. Despite the enmity ignited by war hysteria, bonds of empathy developed between the resettlers and allies who advocated for them personally and professionally. This volume illustrates the multiple ways in which Japanese American people transformed both wartime Minnesota and their own lives, including narratives of college students pursuing higher education, young men and women training at the Military Intelligence Service Language School at Camp Savage and then Fort Snelling, the US Cadet Nurse Corps serving in Rochester hospitals, and entrepreneurial families and individuals in the Twin Cities and beyond.

This presentation also explores the historical ties between Carleton College and Japanese American experiences during World War II. It highlights the pivotal role of John Nason and the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council (NJASRC) in facilitating education for incarcerated students, while honoring the legacy of Frank Shigemura, whose story remains a cornerstone of Carleton’s institutional memory.

Professor of Asian Studies at St. Olaf College, Ka Wong received his Ph.D in Chinese and an M.A. in Arts from the University of Hawai'i and another M.A. in Thai Studies from Chulalongkom University, Thailand.  His research interests explore the symbiotic ties and tensions between individual identity and cultural discourse across a wide range of topics.  He has received various national grants and awards, including National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), ASIANetwork, Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), and Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), to name a few. His publications encompass four books, along with numerous journal articles and book chapters, spanning areas such as language pedagogy, film, literature, visual culture, and Asian American studies. His most recent book is Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota During World War II (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2025).

Refreshments and conversation from 4:30 - 5 and 6 - 6:30 in the Center for Global and Regional Studies Lounge (4th floor Leighton Hall)

Public lecture from 5 - 6 in Leighton 426