After the war, members of your family decided to move to different areas of the country.
See what happened to you and all the other family members after the family left Manzanar in 1945.
In May 1945, you left Manzanar with the rest of your family and returned to Gardena. You went back to school feeling a lot more mature and responsible than you were when your family left for camp. It’s probably because you had to step in and be the “man of the family” while your dad was away at the Department of Justice camp. Still, it felt good to start living a “normal” life back in Gardena, but who knows what “normal” really means now?
Learn more about the history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II
In May 1945, you left Manzanar with the rest of your family and returned to Gardena. You went back to school, but it was different because your best friend, Alice, moved away with her family to Chicago after leaving Manzanar. You’re glad to be back in Gardena though, especially because you won’t have to use a big cardboard box for privacy in that awful camp bathroom anymore.
Learn more about the history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II
In April 1945, you left Manzanar with your family to go live in Reedley, CA instead of going back to Gardena. A friend of yours in camp told you about a good farming job in Reedley, which is just outside of Fresno. You had nothing left back in Gardena, so you figured it would be a good time to make a new start for you and your family in a different city. It will be a big change from your life in Gardena, but life is different now after being in Manzanar.
Learn more about the history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II
In April 1945, you left Manzanar with your family to go live in Reedley, CA. Papa decided to move the family to Reedley to take a job on a farm there. You heard that Reedley is near Fresno in the Central Valley of California, so you expect it to be hot and dry like in Manzanar. You worry about the kids being able to adjust once more and make new friends in a new place. What will life as a farmer’s wife be like for you?
Learn more about the history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II
In April 1945, you left Manzanar with your family to go live in Reedley, CA. Papa decided to move the family to Reedley to take a job on a farm there. You prefer living in the city so don’t really want to go live on a farm, especially after years of enduring life in that hot and dusty Manzanar camp. Being a city girl, you worry that you’re not going to fit in with the girls on the farms in Reedley.
Learn more about the history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II
In April 1945, you left Manzanar with your family to go live in Reedley, CA. Papa decided to move the family to Reedley to take a job on a farm there. You don’t really mind the hot, dry air that much (not like your sister), so you look forward to running around on the farm. You’ve gotten to be pretty good at playing baseball on your Manzanar team so wonder if they have a baseball team in Reedley that you can join. Will Papa make me do farm work instead of play baseball though?
Learn more about the history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II
In January 1945, you left Manzanar with your family to go to Seabrook, New Jersey instead of back to Gardena. Your dad heard about a good work opportunity at some frozen food company named Seabrook Farms, so the next thing you knew, your entire family was on a train headed to the east coast. You never lived outside of Gardena until you went to Manzanar. What’s life going to be like in New Jersey?
Learn more about the history of Japanese Americans before, during, and after World War II