As part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Project Assistant Christy Wallover shares three meaningful objects from the museum's World War II Japanese American Internment Era Collection. Many more of these objects will soon be available in an online group thanks to Christy's work.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, close to 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced out of their homes and into internment camps established by the U.S. government, which was fearful of spies undermining the nation's defense. Creating arts and crafts quickly became a coping mechanism as well as a way to forge connections between fellow internees, who often didn't know where they were going or for how long. Art classes were often offered at the internment camps and young and old were encouraged to make things. Many of the artworks crafted in the camps captured feelings and experiences that are at once unique but familiar.

These objects aren't just beautiful to look at. They also reveal the stories of perseverance, resiliency, and patriotism of Japanese Americans during a controversial era of American history.

This watercolor by Akio Ujihara depicts snowy Manzanar War Relocation Center in California 

Akio Ujihara, who donated the watercolor to the museum, was among the Japanese Americans forced into the War Relocation Authority centers. These camp-like facilities were isolated in rural parts of the country. They were poorly constructed, had very little privacy, and were not climate controlled. Ujihara was able to capture these aspects through his watercolors.

"Manzanar No Yuki," which translates to "Manzanar Snow," was one of the dozen watercolors Ujihara donated to the museum. The painting depicts the bleak, snow-covered camp against mountains in the background. To the right, a small figure sits at the threshold of his barracks. In a letter to the Smithsonian, Ujihara explained that, "I am not an artist but tried to keep my camp experience in watercolor—which has no artistic value but I tried to picture as it happened…"

Although living behind barbed wire was oppressive and dismal, many internees did not let it discourage them from continuing with living life, creating a community, and supporting one another. The lovebirds pin and the Christmas card are representative of these attempts at normalcy.

This pin was donated by Mrs. Mabel Rose Vogel, who was an art teacher at Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas.

The carved pin depicts two lovebirds perched on a heart. On the back of this pin is the inscription "HGK" and "45." We can imagine that the pin is a token of affection. The letters are initials of a loved one and the numbers relate to the year the pin was given as a gift.

The country of Italy is drawn on the back of this card. Ken Nihei was stationed in Italy when he made and sent this card.

The other object, a Christmas card, was handmade by Ken Nihei. Nihei was a soldier in the 442nd Combat Team, which was a segregated unit comprised of Nisei (second-generation) Japanese Americans. Many of these men were internees from the War Relocation Centers. At first, men of Japanese ancestry were ineligible for military action. However, when the war effort demanded more soldiers, Japanese Americans were reclassified as eligible for the draft. While stationed in Italy, Nihei sent this card to a special person in Topaz Relocation Center.

These three objects are examples of the World War II internment camp era collection at the museum. This collection holds powerful stories about the experiences of Japanese Americans. Looking at these objects provides us a window into a complicated past. If you would like to learn more about this period in American history, see A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution or read this blog post about courtship in an internment camp.

Christy Wallover is a project assistant in Armed Forces History and a graduate of The George Washington University Museum Studies program. 

Educator Victoria Altman dishes it up.

This summer, we're celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner with Raise It Up! Anthem for America. On Flag Day, Saturday, June 14, at 4 PM EDT, people around the country will pause to sing our national anthem. Many organizations and families are already planning parties and programs to turn the whole day into a celebration! And what goes better with a patriotic party than some star-spangled snacks?

Try out a few of these simple recipes, courtesy of the museum's Head Chef William Bednar, to keep your group fed and festive all day:

Defenders Deli Tray:
Use equal amounts of your favorite "red" deli meat—you can use ham, salami, roast beef, whatever you like—and your favorite "white" cheese—Swiss, white cheddar, fontina, brie. Fold up your individual slices or bunch them together and lay them out in alternating lines, remembering to leave a block of space in the top left corner.

Fill this corner in with whatever kind of "blue" extra you think will match your meat and cheese. Try olive tapenade, blueberry preserves, or use a little food coloring to turn some mayonnaise blue! That's a feast fit for the defenders of Fort McHenry!

Broad Chips and Bright Dip: 
Use red, white, and blue corn chips either laid out in rows or all in a bowl together. Break out the salsa, the queso, or the tzatziki!

Pickersgill Pizza:

You can make your patriotic pizza entirely from scratch or entirely from the store.

You'll need pizza crust dough, pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni (or tomatoes for a vegetarian version), and black or kalamata olives. Prepare your dough and sauce in advance. Using a rolling pin, roll your dough out in the shape of a rectangle, but remember to make it small enough to fit on a pizza stone. Using a ladle, spread your desired amount of pizza sauce on to the pizza.

Then, it's time to decorate! Sprinkle the whole thing with shredded mozzarella. Use your pepperoni or tomato slices to lay out stripes of red across the mozzarella, remembering to leave a small rectangle of space in the top left corner. Spread your olives in that top left space. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out a few stars from the slices of mozzarella and lay them on top of your olives. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Now that's a pie Mary Pickersgill, who led the group that sewed the Star-Spangled Banner, would love!

Smoothsonian Smoothies—Makes 4
(So named because Smithsonian staffers gobbled these up before the photo shoot was even complete.)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup strawberries, frozen
• 1 cup blueberries, frozen
• 6 oz (12 tbsp) honey
• 6 tsps vanilla extract

Combine 1 cup of yogurt with strawberries, 1 oz honey and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the four glasses in equal amounts. Combine 1 cup of yogurt with 2 oz of honey and 2 tsp vanilla extract and pour into each glass in equal amounts. Combine 1 cup of yogurt with blueberries, 1 oz honey and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the four glasses in equal amounts. Combine remaining yogurt, honey, and vanilla extract and top off each glass. Keep cold until served.

Perilous Punch 
Wet your whistle before singing the anthem at 4 PM! Add strawberries and blueberries to a pitcher of your favorite party drink to add some stars and stripes! Top off each glass with a Starry Straw.

Victoria "Tory" Altman is an Education Specialist in the Office of Education Outreach. Before 4 PM EDT on Flag Day, you might want to find out why the anthem is so hard to sing and pick up a few tips before joining us in a nationwide singing of the national anthem on Flag Day in honor of its 200th birthday.