Fumiko Hitomi Yonemoto, 1942 - 1954
Scope and Contents
Approximately 45 letters, telegrams, and official documents that chronicle the experience of Fumiko Yonemoto (née Hitomi) and her family while incarcerated in the Tule Lake War Relocation Center between 1942 and 1945, as seen through communication with her former teacher and advocate George C. Kimber, a professor of Geography at Sacramento Junior College. The materials fall largely into two categories: first, letters from Fumiko and her brother Takeshi detailing their lives in the camp and imploring Kimber to act as an advocate for them and their father, who was incarcerated separately from the rest of the family, alongside Kimber’s responses, which underscore their American attitudes and loyalty to the State; and second, carbon copies of a variety of letters and official documents sent between Kimber and several government offices including the Department of Justice, the War Relocation Authority, and the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council in re: the Hitomis case. Fumiko and Takeshi were both released to Chicago in 1945, but their father Tasaku Hitomi was under investigation for Un-American Propaganda Activities, and remained incarcerated until 1954 according to a telegram included in the collection. Also included is a copy of the so-called “blanket charges” filed against all California state civil service employees of Japanese ancestry filed April 7th, 1942. Please note many of the letters and documents are stapled together.
Dates
- 1942 - 1954
Conditions Governing Access
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
Biographical / Historical
Fumiko ''Rosie'' Yonemoto (1921-2004) was born Fumiko Hitomi in Sacramento, California. She was incarcerated with her family in the Tule Lake War Relocation Center between 1942 and 1945, when she was granted release to Chicago to marry her husband Tak Yonemoto. Following the war the couple returned to California, where they had four sons – two of which, Bruce and Norman Yonemoto, are noted experimental video artists whose work is held at the Whitney, the Getty, and the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, among others.
Extent
From the Collection: 30 Cubic Feet (68 boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: Latin
From the Collection: French
From the Collection: Italian
From the Collection: Welsh
From the Collection: Danish
From the Collection: Swedish
From the Collection: Spanish
From the Collection: German
From the Collection: Norwegian
From the Collection: Persian
From the Collection: Japanese
From the Collection: Russian
From the Collection: Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
Creator
- From the Collection: Scheetz, Nicholas B., 1952-2016 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057
speccoll@georgetown.edu