St. Kate's Reads
From Internment to the College Gates: Japanese_American Students at St. Kate's, 1943-1953
Presented by Amy Shaw, Head of Archives and Special Collections, St. Catherine University Library

Monday, October 16, 2023
6:30-8 p.m.
Virtual (and in person)

During World War II, 120,000 Japanese Americans – two-thirds of them American citizens – were detained in internment camps by the U. S. War Relocation Authority. About 4,000 of these prisoners were granted early release from the camps to attend colleges in the Midwest and further east.  This is the story of 25 of these students who came to St. Kate’s during the war and its aftermath.  Encouraged by the Sisters of St. Joseph, these young women worked with enthusiasm and resolve toward baccalaureate degrees, nursing credentials, and teaching certificates.  Drawing on archival research, oral histories, and other resources, Amy Shaw has traced many of these students from their original homes on the West Coast, to the camps, to St. Kate’s, and beyond.

St. Kate’s Reads features material, often written and often original, created by St. Catherine University graduates, faculty or staff members. Join us this year as we present original research on the story of the Japanese-American women who traveled to St. Catherine University to enroll as students during World War II.