Issei, Nisei, Sansei
Issei, the first generation of Japanese Americans, were often the ones of age to establish and run businesses, both on before WWII (most likely on the West Coast) and after in Chicago or other cities they resettled in. As the new generation, nisei, came of age, some issei were still in business but most issei had grown old to the age of retirement.
The issei and nisei had different sentiments about relocating to Chicago and how to function in their new community. Many of the older generation believed that assimilation was the best way to enter the Chicago atmosphere, and even before WWII. This included speaking English rather than Japanese, going to American Christian churches rather than practicing Buddhism, and staying within their own circle of people, which led to many of the younger generations, nisei and sansei, being unable to speak Japanese. This is also what originally many organizations such as the JASC (originally the Chicago Resettlers Committee, or CRC) encouraged resettling Japanese Americans to do in order to quickly re-establish themselves after relocation. This sentiment slowly changed over the generations. In Chicago, many Japanese Americans chose to congregate and hold onto their Japanese identities, creating these Japanese American community spaces.
The Japanese American Services Committee, JASC
For information on the Legacy Center, refer to Preservation of History.
The JASC played an integral part in helping Japanese Americans resettle for all generations. The JASC provided many communal activities and services, catering to all generations. For example, community picnics were hosted by the JASC where families with all generations could come together. The younger generation, who would’ve children at the time, would play together, while the older generation, the adults, would hang out together as their families around one another got to be close and bond. More bonding activities included cooking classes, social and athletic activities, and special events such as Christmas, or Holiday Delight, and Market Day. [11]
JASC also provided many services for resettling Japanese Americans who were starting to get jobs in Chicago. They provided English classes for any Japanese Americans, mainly the issei, who could not or spoke minimal English so they could work at English-speaking jobs. Especially helpful to both issei and nisei of age, they provided housing and employment assistance to find both residency and jobs, and referrals to social service agencies for welfare and healthcare needs. These services may not have all existed together at one point in time, as more Japanese Americans become resettled, some services grew to be unnecessary. [12]
Catered towards the older generations, JASC hosted adult daycare centers, where families could leave their grandparents or elderly relatives to be taken care of while they went to work. Those at the daycare centers helped to provide activities for the older generation to bond with one another and not remain idle, while taking care of any health related needs, such as medication or activeness. [13]
All of these services that the JASC provided helped Japanese Americans find a reliable source of community and people to help them get resettled in Chicago. Not only that, but the JASC helped the Japanese American community become and stay a well made community, where everyone knew and could rely on each other.