Toyo Suyemoto, 1936 - 1951
Scope and Contents
Toyo Suyemoto (1916-2003) was a Japanese poet, writer, and librarian. The oldest of ten children raised in Nihonmachi, the Chinatown of Sacramento, CA, she was educated at Berkeley, and began publishing in a variety of Nisei and mainstream literary outlets prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. When Japanese Internment was announced in March of 1942, Toyo and her family, including infant son Kay were moved to Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, California, and then to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah. During her incarceration, Suyemoto continued to write and her work gained further recognition. Following the war, the family moved to Cincinnati, where Suyemoto worked at the libraries of the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Art Museum, and it was there that she suffered the death of her son from an illness contracted during their incarceration. Suyemoto subsequently worked as a librarian at Ohio State University, where she dedicated herself to bringing national attention to the impact of internment on the Japanese-American community. In the early 1980s she returned to Topaz and testified before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC).
Dates
- 1936 - 1951
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
Toyo Suyemoto (1916-2003) was a Japanese poet, writer, and librarian. The oldest of ten children raised in Nihonmachi, the Chinatown of Sacramento, CA, she was educated at Berkeley, and began publishing in a variety of Nisei and mainstream literary outlets prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. When Japanese Internment was announced in March of 1942, Toyo and her family, including infant son Kay were moved to Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, California, and then to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah. During her incarceration, Suyemoto continued to write and her work gained further recognition. Following the war, the family moved to Cincinnati, where Suyemoto worked at the libraries of the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Art Museum, and it was there that she suffered the death of her son from an illness contracted during their incarceration. Suyemoto subsequently worked as a librarian at Ohio State University, where she dedicated herself to bringing national attention to the impact of internment on the Japanese-American community. In the early 1980s she returned to Topaz and testified before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC).
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