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San Diego State University Awards Honorary Degrees To Former Japanese American Students

May 18, 2010 — Gann Matsuda

On May 17, 2010, San Diego State University honored its former Japanese American students who were forced to leave the campus due to their imprisonment in American concentration camps during World War II by awarding them honorary degrees (see California State University System To Grant Honorary Degrees To Japanese American Internees).

43 former students were identified as being eligible to receive an honorary degree from SDSU. More than twenty received the degree at the ceremony, some by family members representing relatives who had already passed away. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Manzanar. Tags: concentration camp, internment, Japanese American, Japanese American Internment, civil rights, racism, discrimination, California Nisei College Diploma Project, California State University, San Diego, San Diego State University, SDSU, CSU, Carl Yoshimine, KSWB, KPBS, San Diego Union-Tribune. Leave a Comment »

Fresno State: Public Help Sought To Contact Japanese American Alumni

March 26, 2010 — Gann Matsuda

The following is a press release from California State University, Fresno (Fresno State).

HONORARY DEGREES: Fresno State will hold a special Commencement ceremony and luncheon on May 20, 2010, for Japanese Americans receiving honorary degrees and their families. The event will begin at 11:00 AM in the Satellite Student Union on campus.

California State University, Fresno is trying to locate 87 Japanese American former students who may be eligible for honorary degrees because their college studies were interrupted by Executive Order 9066, issued February 19, 1942.

The order, in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, sent thousands of Japanese Americans to prison camps, hundreds of whom were residents of the San Joaquin Valley.

In September 2009, California State University trustees approved participation in the California Nisei College Diploma Project, agreeing to recognize Japanese American students at CSU campuses in 1941 and 1942 with honorary degrees. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Manzanar. Tags: California Nisei College Diploma Project, California State University, civil rights, CSU, Dr. Paul Oliaro, Fresno, Fresno State, Japanese American, Japanese American Internment, John Hiroshi Otomo, John Otomo, Paul Oliaro, San Joaquin Valley. 7 Comments »

San Jose State University To Honor Former Japanese American Students

March 12, 2010 — Gann Matsuda

Like other California State University and California Community College campuses, San Jose State University is searching for their former Japanese American students who were forced to leave the University due to their imprisonment in American concentration camps during World War II so they (or surviving family members) can be awarded an honorary degree from the University. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Manzanar. Tags: California State University, Caliornia Nisei College Diploma Project, civil rights, CSU, Japanese American, Japanese American Internment, San Jose State University, SJSU. 7 Comments »

California State University Searches For Former Japanese American Students

March 12, 2010 — Gann Matsuda

The following is a press release from the California State University system.

LONG BEACH, CA — Do you know of a Japanese American student who was removed from a California State University campus in 1941-42 and incarcerated in a camp?

Six California State University campuses are searching for 250 Japanese American students who were forcibly removed from CSU campuses during World War II and relocated to prison camps, interrupting their academic careers.

The CSU campuses plan to award these Nisei students Special Honorary Bachelor of Humane Letters degrees as part of the CSU’s Nisei Honorary Degree Project. The CSU project is a result of Assembly Member Warren Furutani’s bill, Assembly Bill 37, which called upon the CSU, University of California and the community colleges to award the degrees. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Manzanar. Tags: California State University, Caliornia Nisei College Diploma Project, Charles B. Reed, civil rights, CSU, Japanese American, Japanese American Internment, Warren Furutani. 7 Comments »

SDSU: A Wonderful Gesture

March 5, 2010 — Gann Matsuda

The following story originally appeared in the March 2010 edition of the San Diego State University Alumni E-Newsletter. It is reprinted here with permission. Original story: A Wonderful Gesture.

by Tobin Vaughn, Editor

SDSU: Former Student to Receive Honorary Degree

Carl Yoshimine (highlighted) shown in the 1942 Del Sudoeste Yearbook at San Diego State College, now San Diego State University.

Monday, December 8, 1941 was a day Carl Yoshimine has never forgotten. It isn’t so much the details he recalls as the strange feeling he couldn’t seem to shake.

“Emotionally, it was awkward,” he remembers.

The day before, he had been as shocked as everyone by news that the Japanese navy had attacked Pearl Harbor. This was the first day of classes since the attack and much of the country was still coming to grips with the stunning developments that would plunge America into World War II. When he arrived on campus from his family’s home in Ocean Beach, the first semester freshman encountered a subdued student body. Read the rest of this entry »