Kay talks frankly about how bad Tanforan and the assembly centers are. She also comments about the different nature of administration: the military administration of assembly centers vs. the civilian war relocation authority administration of the…
Kay writes about the emotional states of students in camp: cynical, bitter, broken, stoic, determined, and radiant. She also writes about getting permanent leave permit, but is staying to work for student relocation in the camp because there is so…
Martha, at Washington University in St. Louis writes updates to Kay- thirty JA students met up to talk about how they could share notes. They don't want to make a formal group, only a workshop, so as not to be "an obvious congregation of Japanese."…
She mentions that when she left Tanforan to testify in the Ryder Case, she was offered a job to stay in Washington D.C., but couldn't take it because she was traveling with her mother. Her former boss had tried to get her a job outside of the camp…
Kay describes (pg 4) discussion groups/ workshops, one pertaining to the "Negro Problem" and "how their problem relates to ours." Other workshops were on the history of Japan taught by a kibei. Kay also gives lots of personal updates.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation reaches out to Kay as allies on the outside of camp. Note: Members of the Fellowship of Reconciliation work with Gordon Hirabayashi and visit him when he is in jail in Washington State for refusing evacuation orders.
Josephine Duveneck hears that Kay was not allowed or approved to leave Topaz to go to Philadelphia to work (not sure why). Duveneck is looking into getting Kay to go to the Chicago office of AFSC.
Kay thanks them for Christmas gift of fabric. Tomi will sew a dress but has to wait her turn on the block sewing machine. An elderly man was fatally shot for getting to close to the barbed wire fence. The M.P. was court marshalled.
Kay writes about discussion groups in camp on African Americans (she mentions Richard Wright's book, 12 Million Black Voices) and Japan's political history, Kay asks Margaret for a loan of $100 to move to Chicago.
Martha writes from Poston, Arizona that she is very cherred up by Kay's letter and care for her wellbeing since her other friends at Topaz haven't been writing her. She worries that she won't be able to find a job if relocated and needs to make money…