Greta Jennison's E-portfolio

Comment:

On page 91, George’s dad tells the kids that they get to go on a special outing outside of the camp. Naturally, George and his brother were overjoyed and bragged to everyone they knew that they were going outside the fence. George’s dad was allowed to borrow a jeep for the afternoon as a block manager privilege. I love how all the panel drawings in this section depict it as a magical experience through line work and added flair on the pages like sparkles. Since the book is from George’s POV this was an extremely rare and exciting event and we see how excited he is through his lense.

Extension:

Block managers were chosen based off of several factors including leadership capabilities, willingness to do the job, and perceived “loyalty.” Block managers were bilingual and were paid a small wage that the WRA (war relocation authority) decided on. Their tasks could range from distribution of supplies like lumbar, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, ingoing and outgoing mail, and more. Block managers were also the voice of their block and communicated with WRA about management concerns and needs. Some blocks formed “block councils” that was comprised of representatives from different barraks within the block. Although block managers were supposed to be the “voice” of their block, many had little or no voice when it came to decisions; the block managers were seen as as only a messanger and tool for the administration. In some cases where the camp admin distrust was high, the block manager position was hard to fill because nobody wanted to be used in that way.

https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Block_managers

Question:

Did George and his family get to go on any other special outings?

Was it common for block managers to be allowed to borrow a car and leave camp?

Comments:

On page 67, George’s mom reveals that she brought her sewing machine with her to the camp. She used the sewing machine for many tasks including making new clothes for the children, making curtains for the windows in their cabin, and more. She also used her creativity to braid material scraps together to make rugs and mats for the cabin to make it feel more “homey”. Even in these unbelievably mentally and physically challenging circumstances, George’s mom fought hard to give him and his brother a good life there, it was her own sort of act of defiance: being able to successfully provide a life for her family in a country that did not welcome them anymore.

On page 77, we learn that the area the camp is located in used to be a swamp, so the heavy rain quickly flooded the camp’s walkways. Some of the men at the camp took it upon themselves to find a solution to the gross muddy mess that was the camp currently, so they found materials (discarded wood) and began construction. Contribution from many at the camp helped the process move quickly and soon they had raised wooden walkways that allowed for a dry place to walk when the camp was a swamp.

Extension:

(decided to answer my question)

I learned that it was very common for the women in the internment camps to transform their cabins into comfortable living arrangements through DIYs. The women made all sorts of household items including lamp shades, table runners, bedspreads, woven together blinds, braided rag rugs, and so much more. The families worked together to build all their furniture from bed frames to nightstands to tables, since they were provided with only an empty room. Some women took the homemaking a step further and carefully saved colored pieces of paper or scraps from magazines to make faux flowers for the cabin.

https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Arts_and_crafts_in_camp/#Transforming_Living_Units

Question:

I wonder if many wives/mothers found ways to decorate their cabins? What other smart ideas did these women have (like the rugs George’s mom made)?

2-1-Q

Greta Jennison

11 September 2025

2 Comments:

• Japanese Americans were forced from their homes and farms. Before they were actually fully removed, they were told they must continue to tend to their crops and if they failed to abide they would be treated as “wartime saboteurs”. Once they were forcefully removed from their farms the government took their crops and all belongings to aid the war effort.
• I also thought the panel(s) that talked about the Santa Anita horse track, which is where many of them, including George and his family, were taken to. Families were stored in the old horse stalls, an unbelievably inhumane, dehumanizing, and humiliating act by the government, and many children including George began their schooling there which had a huge impact on their childhood development, even if they didn’t really understand what was going on. 

1 Extension:

Santa Anita horse stalls

200 showers for 18,000 people

Families forced to live in horse stalls (7 ppl split between 2 stalls)

Fully treated like prisoners (concentration camp) 

1 roll of toilet paper for 4 people for 2 weeks

Stream of sewage running through camp

Called “relocation camps”

A man laid his neck on the track to kill himself

Men were held separately 

1 Question:

Where were other families taken, any worse than horse stalls? 

Were the American people around aware of the cruelty? 

Did any Americans try to exonerate them or help them escape?

LIL-120-A

2-1-Q

Greta Jennison

11 September 2025

2 Comments:

• Page 8&9 show the extreme emotional aftermath of being awoken in the night and told to pack up and leave. I really like how the 3 panels on page 8 show the heartbreak of the kids and their mom standing outside their apartment, especially the middle panel in this page is extremely moving and showing the mom crying in front of the kids shows how serious what is happening is. I like how the illustrator drew the tears so plump and gut wrenching to really tell the reader how big of a deal that is. Additionally, he ends that section by saying “that day is burned into my memory forever”, this is telling the audience that this was a hugely traumatizing event that is so shocking he will forever remember the raw emotion he felt when it was happening.
• On page 17, the bottom left panel shows the Japanese couple discovering that their car windows/windshield was smashed and “GET OUT” was painted on the hood of their car. This was a domestic hate crime targeting Japanese Americans that had nothing to do with the attack, or are even born and raised Americans. In this panel, the broadcast of the president addressing the nation states “The people of the United States have already formed their opinions, and well understand the implications to this very life and safety of our nation”. These words are placed on the panel of the japanese couple discovering what happened to their car is very purposeful because it is the author showing that his parents (and all japanese americans) were no longer safe and welcome in america, a place they came to for a better life.

1 Extension:

The panel on page 18 in the top right really stood out to me because it shows a barber shop offering free buzzcuts for those who enlist. I decided to research this because I was curious to see if this was a common thing that barber shops offered at the time. I learned that it was very common for barber shops to offer free buzzcuts to those enlisted as a sort of incentive to enlist and serve the country. I also learned about a WW2 vet named Manny “America” Ruiz received a free haircut on his 100th birthday, which was promised to him many decades ago. It’s also interesting to me that lots of veterans went on to become barbers after the war and offered free haircuts for other vets years after the war. This shows that in times of war and struggle that communities come together to fight wars from across the ocean.

1 Question:

I wonder how many other japanese americans experienced hate crimes like the vandalized car, and how were japanese americans treated in different parts of america? Were there some cities/states that were more welcoming?