Outrage on Campus

Recalling our history can sometimes mean the need to confront a difficult past -- one that stands in stark contrast to the values we now hold dear. For members of the UCLA community, that past is drawn into sharp focus when we remember the events of 1942. The United States had just entered World War II after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, and military and political leaders feared a full-scale attack on America’s West Coast. In February of that year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 with the stated intention of preventing espionage on American shores. The order commanded the immediate relocation of Americans of Japanese ancestry to internment camps. Roughly 117,000 people were affected, many of whom were U.S. citizens.

The fallout from the presidential order would be felt long after the war ended. Families lost their businesses, homes, and ultimately, their sense of belonging in a country that had once welcomed them. The relocations also derailed the lives of more than 200 UCLA students who were forced to halt their education and relocate to internment camps for the duration of the war. Some went on to earn degrees at other universities while others simply never returned to college.

Throughout the years, UCLA has grown in its commitment to equality and social justice for all, but this chapter in our university’s history stands out as a moment in which we didn’t do everything we could to pursue those ends. That recognition created an opportunity to finally make things right for these former students. Beginning in 2009, the search began for Japanese-American students who were enrolled at UCLA but never received their degree due to the relocation. A year later, ceremonies were held to award honorary degrees to these former students, signaling that as a community of scholars, thinkers, and doers, we will always seek the best in ourselves -- and each other.