"Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota During World War II" Program

Description

Ka Wong will present, “Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota During World War II” at the Lyon County Museum, 301 West Lyon Street, Marshall on Tuesday, October 20 at 6:30 PM About the Program: The forced eviction and confinement of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor in 1941 was one of the worst civil rights violations of the twentieth century. In Minnesota, the impact was dramatic: the state's Japanese American population grew from just 51 in 1940 to several thousand by war’s end. Drawing on personal interviews, archival sources, and historical literature, Professor Ka Wong explores the courageous struggles of trailblazers who left incarceration camps to rebuild their lives in Minnesota. The book illustrates how Japanese Americans transformed both the state and their own lives—from college students and Cadet Nurses to soldiers training at the Military Intelligence Service Language School at Camp Savage and Fort Snelling. Despite wartime hostility, bonds of empathy developed between resettlers and local allies, demonstrating a legacy of solidarity that remains deeply relevant today. Ka Wong is Professor of Asian Studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. His book Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota During World War II (Minnesota Historical Society Press) won the 2026 Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota Nonfiction at the Minnesota Book Awards. The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Programs at the Lyon County Museum are sponsored by members. For more information, contact the Lyon County Museum at 507-537-6580.