From an article in CU Boulder Today by Sam Linnerooth:
The hallways under CU Boulder’s Norlin Library are lined with rows and rows of nondescript gray boxes. It’s not the most scenic spot on campus, but the university’s 101 year-old archives can be a glimpse into different worlds and times.
Many of those gray boxes offer a window into the lives of Japanese and Japanese Americans on campus around World War II and Japanese incarceration in the United States.
While University Libraries collections from this era are fairly comprehensive, there are gaps in the record. The CU Japanese and Japanese American Community History Project seeks to change that.
Adam Lisbon, Japanese and Korean studies librarian, and Megan Friedel, head of archives, embarked on the project in August. They’re conducting interviews, digitizing records and collecting new archival materials. By design, the project aligns with the 75th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt suspending Japanese incarceration in the United States.
“We’re using that as a jumping off point for talking about and collecting information about Japanese and Japanese American history on campus,” said Friedel. “Not just during World War II, but from the first Japanese American student to the present day.”
Lisbon taught English in Japan for four years before coming to CU Boulder. In Colorado, he found community with others who shared a connection to the country, including Japanese and Japanese American groups.
He was quick to realize the potential for preserving more of that community’s history at CU Boulder and throughout the region. He remembers being concerned during conversations with Japanese American friends who had no specific plans for preserving family heirlooms.
Read the full article here.