History

In the spring of 1942, following Pearl Harbor and the subsequent uprooting of all persons of Japanese descent from the West Coast to Assembly Centers, educators became concerned about the future of many Nisei students then enrolled in their colleges and universities. Efforts to effect an immediate transfer of these students to institutions outside the restricted area were led by the YMCA- YWCA, the Pacific College Association and college presidents such as Robert Gordon Sproul of the University of California, and Lee Paul Sieg of the University of Washington. A Student Relocation Council, funded by the National YMCA- YWCA, was organized in Berkeley, California on March 21, 1942 and met weekly during April and May.

Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt has been credited with playing a large role in the formation of a national student relocation council. College university presidents had urged Governor of Olson of California to address the needs of Nisei students, and though he wrote to President Roosevelt for help, it was Mrs. Roosevelt who became engaged with the issue. Concerned that the evacuees not suffer the fate of Native Americans, she was anxious to demonstrate to them that the internment was intended as a temporary situation. Mrs. Roosevelt discussed the matter with a close Quaker friend, Clarence Pickett, who subsequently proposed to John McCoy, Assistant Secretary of War, and to Milton Eisenhower, the first national director of the War Relocation Authority (WRA), that the college students in camp be relocated. He suggested a two-fold purpose in his proposal: to return the students to schools and, through their successful integration within college communities, to pave the way for families to successfully leave the camps.

John McCoy requested that the Quakers assume leadership for the project, a request accepted and shouldered by the American Friends Service Committee, and the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council was formed on May 29, 1942 in Chicago. Offices were quickly established in Philadelphia, Seattle, Portland, Berkeley and Los Angeles. When funds became scarce in March 1943, all offices were consolidated to Philadelphia.

The NJASRC was staffed primarily by volunteers. Its members included college presidents and deans, college association officers, representatives of leading Protestant churches, Jews, Catholics, Quakers, and the student YMCA- YWCA. Financial support for the enterprise came from many non-government sources: churches of various Protestant denominations, the World Student Service Fund, colleges and universities, and private donations. The most difficult task for the Council was to find funding for Buddhists and other non-Christians. A few denominations, notably Baptists, Presbyterians and the Congregationalists helped these students but their principal support came from the World Student Service Fund.

All college-bound students in camp faced huge administrative hurdles as they sought to gain their leaves. They needed clearances from the War Relocation Authority, the FBI, and, if the student had ever visited Japan, from the War Department. The NJASRC was charged with the responsibility for moving students from the camps to colleges. Its duties included:

• Obtaining all necessary clearances.
• Managing the funds for scholarships that had been privately donated by individuals, organizations, and churches
• Assisting students with choosing schools, securing their transcripts and letters of reference, channeling their requests for financial aid to scholarship sources, and making formal applications to the school finally selected by the student
• Obtaining assurances from the selected college and the surrounding community that the student would be accepted
• Monitoring the student's progress and well-being

The first student selected for relocation was Harvey Itano of Sacramento, California. Itano's departure from Tule Lake for St. Louis Medical School on July 4, 1942 marked the beginning of the student relocation process. Ultimately, the NJASRC processed over 4,600 applications. In the process it struggled with mountains of paper work and limited funds. It is estimated that Council staff had to write an average of 25 letters on behalf of each student before he or she was clear to leave, contacting the student, the government, the school, and the host community. On May 1, 1946, just prior to its closing, the NJASRC held the records of 3,613 and a list of 680 institutions that accepted them.

The NJASRC ceased operation on June 30, 1946. Though its story remains largely unknown, its work was unquestionably key to the subsequent successful reintroduction of Japanese Americans into the mainstream of American society after the war. It encouraged students to apply to college, processed their clearances and helped find financial support, paved the way for their arrival on campus, and monitored their well-being while they were there. We must never forget the many justice-minded, farsighted individuals who, in 1942, had the courage to support the young Japanese American students and the faith to believe in them. We must honor their legacy.

In 1942, more than 120,000 persons of Japanese descent were uprooted from their homes and interned in "relocation centers." That year, religious, academic, and civic leaders joined to form the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council (NJASRC). The organization's sole purpose was to assist the Nisei (the American-born children of Japanese immigrants) to leave the camps so that they could complete their college educations. Between 1942 and 1945, the NJASRC successfully helped more than 4,000 Nisei leave the camps for college.

In 1980, a group of Nisei who were living in New England began to gather occasionally for fun activities and conversations. As the group reminisced, their discussions began to highlight the crucial role of the NJASRC in the history of the Japanese in the United States. Realizing the preciousness of the educational opportunities they had gained through the efforts of the NJASRC and feeling regret that such generosity had been largely forgotten, the Nisei resolved to find some means to recognize the help they had received. A successful fundraising campaign was followed by a ceremony in 1982, at which the Nisei presented the American Friends Service Committee with a large contribution and a tribute. The Service Committee had played a crucial role in the work of the NJASRC.

Following the initial ceremony, when the Nisei met again, they resolved to continue their efforts. Their goal was to create a fund that would enable them to award annual scholarships to those who needed help ? as they had needed help ? to continue their educations. The children of the Southeast Asian refugees who recently entered the United States drew their attention.

Since 1983, the NSRCF has awarded scholarships to Southeast Asian students in need. In all of the United States, it is the only source of scholarship aid specifically focused on Southeast Asians. One scholarship award ceremony is held each year, with local committees coordinating all aspects of the awards. Scholarships have been given to Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian students in Chicago, Houston, Denver, Seattle, Sacramento, Madison, and other areas of the United States. The site of the award ceremony changes each year.

When asked why they continue their efforts, NSRCF board members and supporters often speak of the need they feel to recognize the help Japanese Americans received during the war. They say that they wish to "extend a helping hand to others." In Japanese, this urge and obligation is referred to by the term ongaeshi. On is an obligation one incurs to another person who gives generous, unselfish assistance in a time of one's need. On binds the giver and the receiver in an unbreakable relationship that is not to be forgotten. The feeling of on compels a receiver to make a return for what has been received. Ongaeshi is the repayment of on . It is experienced as a moral imperative, and when linked to a sense of gratitude, is also a source of joy. The Nisei Student Relocation Fund was created and continues as an act of ongaeshi . For its founders and supporters, it is concrete expression of gratitude and a source of satisfaction and joy.