Biography: Kinji Imada

Detainees from Gila River, and other relocation centers, tried to carry on with life as close to normal as possible. As for Kinji Imada, his next step in life was to apply to colleges after graduating from the incarceration center’s high school. Kinji struggled with barriers to pursue higher education, which is evident through a series of letters.

In the end, Kinji spent a year at Harvard University before enlisting in the United States Army, a branch of the same government that denied him his civil rights not too long before. After serving in the Army, he returned to Harvard to study architecture. Kinji had a lengthy career as an architect in the San Francisco Bay Area, which included contributions to the once popular Mid Century Eichler Houses. Kinji passed away in March 2005 at the age of 77.