More than 80 years ago, Japanese Canadians came together to sustain The New Canadian, the only newspaper specifically for the community that was allowed to be published through the Second World War.
Now the community has come together again 害羞草研究所� and may have saved the newspaper害羞草研究所檚 archives from the digital scrap heap.
Supporters say the newspaper that published from 1938 to 2001 was a pillar of the community during the turmoil of the war when Japanese Canadians were interred, stripped of assets and had their patriotism questioned.
The New Canadian害羞草研究所檚 digital archives had been facing deletion, after Simon Fraser University Library announced recently it would no longer host them on its servers from this fall.
But after the announcement sparked outcry 害羞草研究所� and more than 3,000 people signed an online petition calling for the archive to be saved 害羞草研究所� SFU said in a statement on Monday that it recognized the importance of preserving access to sources including The New Canadian, and it would continue to host the archive until an accessible online alternative is found.
Poet and playwright Carolyn Nakagawa, who was among the petition害羞草研究所檚 signatories, said she was thrilled by SFU Library害羞草研究所檚 announcement.
害羞草研究所淚 feel really happy. I害羞草研究所檓 so pleased that SFU responded to the communities speaking out about this, and they heard what we had to say,害羞草研究所� said Nakagawa, who lives in Coquitlam, B.C.
害羞草研究所淚 am really proud. I want to say thank you 害羞草研究所� and to everyone who signed it and added their own words about why it was important.害羞草研究所�
Seventy-eight-year-old Alan Itakura from Montreal, Quebec, also signed the petition and said he was 害羞草研究所渜uite astounded害羞草研究所� by how quickly the archive was thrown a lifeline.
害羞草研究所滻 am sure everybody that signed the petition is very happy that the result is positive,害羞草研究所� said Itakura, who was born in an internment camp in 1945 in Kaslo, B.C., after the end of the Second World War. 害羞草研究所淭he good news is that the archives are alive and well and accessible, which is the most important thing.害羞草研究所�
Other Japanese -language newspapers were shut down after the outbreak of war. More than 22,000 Japanese Canadians in B.C. were ordered detained and sent to internment and work camps far from the coast.
Itakura recalled being featured in the newspaper 65 years ago when he won a judo tournament at the age of 13. He said his mother clipped out the article and kept it in a scrapbook.
He said The New Canadian, which published in both English and Japanese and was initially based in Vancouver, was a 害羞草研究所渕ust-read害羞草研究所� newspaper for his family.
害羞草研究所淲hen I went to Japan and lived there for a couple of years post-university, (my mother) would send me clips of articles from The New Canadian just to keep me up to date with what was happening back home,害羞草研究所� said Itakura.
SFU Library had listed The New Canadian among more than two dozen newspapers whose digital archives would no longer be hosted, saying that access to physical copies would have to be arranged with the Multicultural History Society of Ontario.
The library had said it was migrating its digital collections to a new website this year and as part of that process it had been reviewing which publications would be retained and which ones would be removed.
But in an emailed response on Monday, SFU Library said it would continue to host The New Canadian until an accessible online alternative is found.
Nakagawa said the support for the petition reflected the devotion that the 害羞草研究所淣isei害羞草研究所� community 害羞草研究所� second-generation Japanese Canadians 害羞草研究所� had felt towards The New Canadian in the past.
Nakagawa said that when reading articles about Japanese Canadians written more than 80 years ago, 害羞草研究所渢heir voices are so alive.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所�(You) get to see their personalities and their hopes and their dreams, and it doesn害羞草研究所檛 feel like history anymore. It feels like the present. It feels like people that you know,害羞草研究所� said Nakagawa.
After Japan害羞草研究所檚 attack on Pearl Harbour on Dec. 7, 1941, the newspaper published a front-page editorial affirming the Nisei community害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渃omplete unswerving loyalty to Canada.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚ndeed the war has not lessened out contribution as a group to the Canadian nation; it has imposed upon us a greater task for the future,害羞草研究所� its editors wrote on Dec. 12, 1941.
On the same page, the paper carried a brief story noting that naturalized Japanese Canadians would have to report to 害羞草研究所渢he registrar of enemy aliens.害羞草研究所�
In the months before the war, a columnist had rallied readers to subscribe and keep the newspaper in print, telling them 害羞草研究所測ou know in your hearts that The New Canadian is worth every Nisei害羞草研究所檚 helping hand.害羞草研究所�
Petition starter Larissa Kondo from Langley, B.C., said she was struck by the newspaper advertising buying war bonds as 害羞草研究所渁n investment in freedom害羞草研究所� during the war era, at a time when many of The New Canadian害羞草研究所檚 readers were in internment camps.
害羞草研究所淎nd I害羞草研究所檓 thinking, what kind of mental gymnastics are required to advertise that buying war bonds equals freedom in a paper targeted to incarcerated people,害羞草研究所� said Kondo.
She said the paper害羞草研究所檚 wartime stories that spoke to her included one in which Japanese Canadians were told to surrender their pets before they had to leave their homes for internment.
害羞草研究所淪o, it害羞草研究所檚 the only (newspaper) that offers that first-person perspective on what it was like to be forced from your home, to have your family split up, to have your possessions sold, to be incarcerated indefinitely,害羞草研究所� said Kondo.
害羞草研究所淎nd so I think that that害羞草研究所檚 another thing that The New Canadian is really valuable for. It is a good resource for learning about what happened to us so that hopefully it doesn害羞草研究所檛 happen to anyone else ever again,害羞草研究所� Kondo said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2024.
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
