“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” These words from the Bible command us to love all people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or country of origin. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free….” Similarly, these words written in a poem by Emma Lazarus in 1883 and inscribed on the Statue of Liberty urge Americans to accept and promote the dignity and freedom of all. With the advent of World War II, these precepts again challenged the commitment of the government and people of the United States to the Constitution and of Christians to their beliefs. On February 19,1942 President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9096 allowing the incarceration of as many as 120,000 Japanese men, women, and children, two thirds of whom were American citizens. They were subsequently sent to internment camps located in states throughout the nation. As the war raged on, some Japanese families were given an option to stay in prison camps or work at the Seabrook Farms in Southern New, Jersey. By 1947 approximately 2300 to 2700 Japanese Americans had chosen this path and found work with the hope of freedom at the Seabrook Farms in Cumberland County, New Jersey.
Although the Seabrook Farms community provided, work, shelter, and education for children, Japanese workers found conditions far from satisfactory. Workers were required to work twelve-hour shifts, given one day off every other week, and promised wages were reported to be unreliable. Despite significant challenges, risks, and suffering, and encumbered with the emotional burdens of the time spent in prison camps and lives torn apart, Japanese American citizens in South Jersey, developed a strong sense of community, culture and purpose.
Shintoism and Buddhism remained important components of the culture and religious identity of Japanese American residents in Cumberland County, South Jersey. During and after World War II, Quakers, who worked with the American Friends Service Committee [AFSC} also assisted Japanese American citizens with relocation, education, legal advocacy and basic needs including food and housing. Takashi and Yuriko Moriuchi of Moorestown, New Jersey wrote extensively in their book, “The Fruitful Life” on the challenges of this period and the assistance that the Quakers offered their family and others during this period.
During the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the U.S. Government officially apologized for the incarceration of Japanese citizens. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was passed which recognized the injustice of the incarceration while also offering $20,000 to surviving internees. Nevertheless, the history of Japanese citizens during the incarceration period is notably absent from many school curricula and has been for many decades. Additionally, the number of Japanese American residents in the Seabrook area of New Jersey has declined significantly. However, the Seabrook Education and Cultural Center [located in the Upper Deerfield Twp. Municipal Building, Bridgeton, NJ] offers historical references, pictures, films, and programs that educate the public on the history of relocated Japanese Americans “lest we forget.”