From Resettlement to Community

With the start of the “all-out relocation” [1] program initiated by the WRA, allowing incarcerated Japanese Americans to leave under the terms of having a job on the West Coast, the incarcerated were slowly allowed to leave, starting from college students and those with secured jobs. While relocation was initially targeted towards the West Coast, many Japanese Americans found jobs and resettled in the Midwest, specifically Chicago, Illinois. And while there may never be a recorded “Japan Town” in Chicago, the Japanese American community of Chicago was especially strong. Many Japanese Americans resided there, started local businesses, and started families there where their children went to the local public schools. This first began in the Oakland/Kenwood and Clark & Division areas, from the 1940s to the 1960s, where many Japanese Americans first began to resettle, either in boarding homes or with other previous Japanese American residents. They also had the support of many Japanese American community organizations and places of belief, such as Japanese American Churches and Buddhist Temples, and as the Japanese American community moved up north, so did these organizations. Soon, as the Japanese American community continued to grow, there were many nissei and sansei along with the issei population. These organizations and places of practicing belief  continued to grow along with these generations, and some can still be found in Chicago today, supporting and being part of the Japanese American community, but also welcoming members of other identities and racial/cultural backgrounds. 

While going through the history of these Japanese American communities in Chicago, one thing to note is the differences between the Japanese American communities in Chicago to those on the West Coast [2]; specifically, in regards to their ideals and opinions on having and being part of a Japanese American community in America. Many of the ideals that Japanese Americans in Chicago shared often contrasted with those on the West Coast, including older generations who originated from the West Coast. Some specific ideals include the idea of assimilation against establishing; many older generations and West Coast Japanese Americans found it important that they assimilate to Western culture and American ideals, such as Christianity and going to church, speaking English, and being part of the American society and not having a Japanese American community and culture.