American Friends Service Committee collection, 1942-1947

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Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains materials the American Friends Service Committee produced and collected pertaining to their activities and the experience of Japanese Americans during and after World War II.
Extent:
0.42 linear feet (1 box)
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], American Friends Service Committee Collection. 94.122, Japanese American National Museum. Los Angeles, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains correspondence, bulletins, newsletters, reports, newspaper clippings, newspapers, transcripts of sermons prior to evacuation, promotional fliers, booklets, one journal containing the Evergreen Hostel inventory, and other notes pertaining to the wartime and post-war activities of the American Friends Service Committee, Japanese internees, and the United States government. Many of the documents cover the Friends’ aid to those incarcerated, conditions in the concentration camps, first person accounts of camp life, resettlement, hostels, Nisei servicemen, discrimination, public opinion of Japanese Americans, and the federal government’s response to Japanese incarceration.

Biographical / historical:

Founded in 1917, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a social justice organization established by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), that aims to end discrimination, build interracial peace, and fight for civil rights. During WWII, they were one of the few organizations that actively opposed Japanese incarceration and made concerted efforts to help the community. Members visited concentration camps to provide moral support and bring food and other necessities. The AFSC established hostels during the resettlement period to provide short-term housing, help secure employment, and aid the transition out of camp. They also assumed leadership of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council (NJASRC) to resettle more than 4,000 Japanese American students into universities nationwide. In 1947, the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.

Acquisition information:
Gift of the American Friends Service Committee.
Processing information:

This collection was processed by staff at an earlier date. The finding aid was written in 2018 by Mariah Sander.

Arrangement:

Original arrangement was preserved when possible. Items cataloged with letters were combined into one folder.

Physical location:
Japanese American National Museum. 100 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

By appointment only. Please contact the Collections Management and Access Unit (collections@janm.org). Advanced notice is required.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Collections Management and Access Unit at the Japanese American National Museum (collections@janm.org).

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], American Friends Service Committee Collection. 94.122, Japanese American National Museum. Los Angeles, CA.

Location of this collection:
Collections Management & Access Unit
100 North Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012, US
Contact:
213-625-0414
collections@janm.org
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