May 18, 2008
Japanese American students of 1941 & 1942, Honorary Bachelor of Arts
A historic academic convocation was held on May 18, 2008 to honor all the Japanese American UW students, both living and deceased, who were forced to leave campus in 1942 as a result of an executive order by President Franklin Roosevelt. (Click on photo for enlarged image.)
On May 18, 2008, honorary Bachelor of Arts degrees were bestowed on 449 Japanese American students who were forced to leave the University in 1942 following an executive order by President Franklin Roosevelt that led to the incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans on the west coast. In 1988 Congress passed a resolution which officially apologized for and redressed the injustices suffered by Japanese Americans due to this order. Honorees were presented with mementos containing the Japanese American Students’ Citation for the Honorary Degree, special stoles (seen worn by the honorees in the photo to the left), and copies of The Fountain and the Mountain, a history, with beautiful photos, of the UW campus. For more information go to the Interrupted Lives website.
- View a copy of the Japanese American Students’ Citation for the Honorary Degree
