Michi Weglyn facts for kids

Michi Nishiura Weglyn (November 29, 1926 – April 25, 1999) was an American writer. She is best known for her important book, Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America’s Concentration Camps. This book, published in 1976, helped start a movement. This movement led to payments, called reparations, for Japanese Americans who were held in special camps during World War II.

Michi Weglyn received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in 1977 for her work. She also strongly supported people who were not given payments under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. She also spoke up for over 2,200 Japanese Peruvians. These people were taken from their homes by the U.S. government. They were used in a hostage exchange program with Japan.

Michi Weglyn's Life Story

Growing Up and Internment

Michiko Nishiura was born in Stockton, California, in 1926. She was the older of two daughters. Her parents, Tomojiro and Misao Nishiura, were immigrants from Japan. Her family worked as farmers in Brentwood. Michi went to Liberty Union High School. In 1940, she received a citizenship award from the American Legion.

In May 1942, a government order called Executive Order 9066 was signed. This order forced people of Japanese descent to leave their homes. Michi and her family were sent to the Turlock Assembly Center. Three months later, they were moved to the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona.

Life in the Camp and College

While at the Gila River camp, Michi attended Butte High, the camp school. She stayed busy with many activities. She led a Girl Scouts troop and a young women's group. She graduated in 1944. Michi received a full scholarship to Mount Holyoke College. She left the camp and moved to Massachusetts for college.

Michi studied biology at Mount Holyoke from 1944 to 1945. However, she became sick with tuberculosis. She had to leave college and go to a hospital in New Jersey for treatment. Her mother and sister moved to New Jersey in 1945. They worked at Seabrook Farms. Michi joined them after her treatment. Later, she attended Barnard College in 1947 and 1948. In 1949, she got sick with tuberculosis again and needed more treatment.

Marriage and Career

After her treatment, Michi moved to New York City. There, she met Walter Weglyn, who would become her husband. Walter was a Jewish refugee from the Netherlands. He was one of the few Jewish children from his hometown to survive the Nazi Holocaust. They married in 1950. Walter encouraged Michi to write her famous book, Years of Infamy. Michi later wrote that Walter was her "most exacting critic and mentor."

During the 1950s and 1960s, Michi became a designer of costumes for plays and shows. She worked for the Perry Como Show from 1957 to 1966. For eight years, she was the first and only Japanese American of her time to become well-known in costume design for television.

Writing Years of Infamy

In the late 1960s, Michi Weglyn started working on her important book, Years of Infamy: The Untold Story of America’s Concentration Camps. The book was published in 1976. It shared details about how the U.S. government treated Japanese Americans. This happened after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. The book strongly argued against the idea that holding Japanese Americans in camps was necessary for military safety.

Weglyn's book also brought up new issues. For example, she wrote about protest movements that happened inside the camps. She also wrote about how Japanese Latin Americans were held in U.S. camps. In the beginning of her book, Michi wrote that she hoped it would remind readers that their rights can be easily taken away. She warned that those who say "it can never happen again" are probably wrong.

The book Years of Infamy won an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in 1977. It helped start the movement that led to payments for Japanese Americans who were held in camps during World War II.

Later Life and Legacy

After her book was published, Michi Weglyn became a strong supporter for many groups. She helped Japanese Americans who were not given payments under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. She also helped Japanese Peruvians who were taken from their homes by the U.S. government. These people were used in a hostage exchange program with Japan.

For her important work, Michi Weglyn received special honorary doctorates. These came from Hunter College, Mount Holyoke College, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Michi's husband, Walter, passed away in 1995. Michi Weglyn died from cancer in 1999 in New York City. She was 72 years old. Her work continues to be important for understanding a difficult time in American history.

See also

• Internment of Japanese Americans
• Japanese American redress and court cases