"Non-Alien" Nursery School, 1942-45

E.O. 9066,Series 24:  "Non-Alien" Nursery School Class, 1942-45.
Watercolor on paper, 22"x30"

I'm seated in the second row, at the end on the right.  Directly in front of me is my younger sister, Etsuko. We were called "non-aliens." The government employed euphemisms to mask the fact that most of the Nikkei (Japanese American) incarcerees were U.S. citizens. Thus, "non-alien" was used instead of U.S. citizen. As I painted this, I empathized with the young children, and  now have some understanding of how that period has left an indelible scar on my life and defines who I am today.