Immigration & Citizenship
Fred Korematsu and his family in their flower greenhouse at Stonehurst Nursery in Oakland, California, in 1940. Fred’s parents (standing behind him on the left) immigrated from Japan in the early 1900s. Fred and his brothers (center, right) were born in Oakland. Photo courtesy of The Fred T. Korematsu Institute.
Japanese Americans made up a tiny portion of California’s population but produced 40% of the state’s vegetable crop, including nearly all of the tomatoes, strawberries, celery and peppers. The government warned farmers they would be charged with sabotage if they left their fields in early 1942, but they were forced to leave long before the fall harvest. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, near Mission San Jose, California, April 5, 1942. National Archives.
“We lost so much during the war,” recalled Maremaro Shibuya (the boy in overalls), who joined his family in front of their home. Before the war, Maremaro’s father, Ryohitsu Shibuya (back row, left), was a major producer of the Homecoming mum flower. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, Mountain View, CA, April 18, 1942. National Archives.