Mary Tsukamoto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Tsukamoto
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1944 Mary Tsukamoto with her daughter Marielle. Courtesy of California State University, Sacramento Library
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| Born |
Mary Tsuruko Dakusaku
January 17, 1915 San Francisco, California, U.S.
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| Died | January 6, 1998 (aged 82) |
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| Employer | Elk Grove Unified School District |
| Known for | Time of Remembrance Program, inspired Civil Liberties Act of 1988 |
| Spouse(s) |
Alfred Tsukamoto
(m. 1936) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | National Women's History Month 2006 honoree |
Mary Tsuruko Dakusaku Tsukamoto (1915–1998) was a Japanese American teacher and activist. She taught in the Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento, California, for 26 years. People said she loved teaching kids how to learn from their experiences.
Mary was the daughter of Japanese parents. During World War II, she was forced to move to an internment camp in Jerome, Arkansas. After this, she created a special program about the internment period. This program is now part of California's history lessons for fifth graders. It is also a tour exhibit at the California Museum of History.
Mary worked hard for Japanese American civil rights. She played a key role in a big effort that led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. This law apologized for the internment. She also worked with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. There, she helped create an exhibit about the internment for the Constitution's 200th birthday. In 2006, she was honored as a National Women's History Month honoree.
Contents
Mary's Early Life
Mary Tsukamoto was born on January 17, 1915, in San Francisco, California. Her parents came from Okinawa, Japan. She was the second of five children in her family.
When she was ten, her family moved to Florin, California. They worked on a farm growing strawberries and grapes. However, her parents could not own the land because they were Japanese-born. Mary went to Florin Grammar School, which was separated by race back then.
Once, she was not allowed to join a high school speech contest. This was because she was the child of immigrants. But her teacher, Mable Barron, helped her. She coached Mary for other contests. Later, her teacher also helped her get into the College of the Pacific with a scholarship.
Life in Internment Camps
In May 1942, Mary, her husband Al, and their daughter Marielle were sent away. This happened because of Executive Order 9066. They were first sent to the Fresno Assembly Center. There, Mary taught children at a temporary summer school. She also taught English and public speaking to adults.
In October, they were moved to an internment camp in Jerome, Arkansas. Mary was shocked that people were "fenced in like animals." She felt they were no longer free. The National Women's History Project said this experience made Mary very passionate. It fueled her desire for justice as a teacher and activist.
The Tsukamoto family did not lose their grape farm. A local farmer named Bob Fletcher managed it for them. He paid the mortgage and taxes. He saved the profits until the Tsukamotos were released in 1945.
In 1943, Mary's brother-in-law and husband were allowed to leave the camp for jobs. Mary and Marielle were released in November 1943. They moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to join them. In 1945, they returned to their farm in Florin. This was after President Roosevelt lifted the ban on Japanese Americans from the West Coast.
Mary's Dedication to Education
Isabell Jackson, her daughter's school principal, encouraged Mary to become a teacher. Mary went to Sacramento State to get her teaching license. She also worked as a substitute teacher.
In 1949, she became one of the first certified Japanese-American teachers. She joined Florin Elementary School in the Elk Grove School District. She started as a third-grade teacher. Mary taught in the district for 26 years. She was known for her strong passion for education.
After retiring in 1976, she kept working with schools. She brought students of all backgrounds together. She led a Japanese cultural program called Jan Ken Po Gakko. These were like the Japanese language schools from before the war. She also organized talks and displays.
In 1994, she helped California State University at Sacramento create a library collection. It is called The Japanese American Archival Collection (JAAC). Mary gave the first gift of photos, documents, and items. Now, it has over 4,000 original items.
Time of Remembrance Program
In 1983, Mary Tsukamoto started the Time of Remembrance program. This program connected Elk Grove students with people who had been in the internment camps. Students heard stories from these survivors. They looked at photos and historical items. They learned what it means to be an American citizen.
Mary created this program to show the unfair treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II. She wanted to help students learn more about American history. Her daughter, Marielle, said her mother wanted to "tie this story to the Constitution." She believed it was "every citizen’s responsibility to make sure our own civil rights and someone else’s rights are not denied."
Working for Civil Rights
Mary Tsukamoto was very upset about how Japanese Americans were treated during World War II. This feeling drove her to seek justice.
In 1981, she spoke at a meeting for the United States Commission on Wartime Internment and Relocation of Civilians. In 1987, she published a book called We the People: A Story of Internment in America. The book's goal was to help everyone learn about the Japanese internment experience. It also showed the courage and patriotism of those who were interned.
She also helped create an exhibit about internment at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. This was for the 200th birthday of the U.S. Constitution.
Her daughter, Marielle, said one of Mary's proudest moments was when President Ronald Reagan signed House Resolution 442. This was the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The U.S. government apologized for the internment of Japanese Americans. The law said the internment was a "grave injustice." It also gave each person who was detained $20,000. This was for the "incalculable losses in education and job training." Mary Tsukamoto lived by the motto that "never again" should citizens lose their basic rights.
Mary Tsukamoto's Legacy
In 1992, the Mary Tsukamoto Elementary School opened. It is in the Elk Grove District in South Sacramento. The school was named in her honor. It was a tribute to Mary's work in creating cultural and educational programs.
In 2003, her Time of Remembrance Program moved. It went from the Elk Grove district office to the California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts. It is now shown there as a seasonal exhibit tour. In 2006, about 6,500 fifth graders studied her Time of Remembrance curriculum.
The California State Senate recognized her as a Notable Californian. In March 2006, she was one of ten women honored for National Women's History Month.
Her daughter, Marielle Tsukamoto, became a teacher too. She taught for 25 years. She later became an administrator in the Elk Grove district before retiring in 2001. Marielle continues her mother's work in teaching about the internment. She also serves on the board of directors for the National Women's History Project.
Books
- Tsukamoto, Mary; Pinkerton, Elizabeth (1987). We the People: A Story of Internment in America.. Laguna Publishers. ISBN 978-0944665411. "reprinted 1988"
