Lillian Kimura Papers

Lillian Chieko Kimura was born on April 7, 1929 in Glendale, California. Lillian and her family lived and worked in Glendale until the attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II. Approximately one month after the tragic events on December 7, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized United States Executive Order 9066. This order led to the forced removal of individuals of Japanese descent from designated “military zones” located mostly along the West Coast. In April of 1942, the Kimuras were evacuated to Manzanar Relocation Center in California where most of the family remained for the duration of the war.
At the conclusion of World War II, the Kimura family moved to Chicago, a resettlement hub for Japanese Americans rebuilding their lives after their incarceration. Lillian’s father worked in a business that manufactured electrocardiographs and her mother worked at a variety of jobs. Lillian completed her education at Hyde Park High School and became an involved member of the Chicago Resettlers Committee – now named the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC).
In 1954, Lillian earned a graduate degree in social work. She obtained a position at Olivet Community Care and rose through the ranks during her 16 years of service. In 1971, she went to work for YWCA for a 23 year period during which she moved to St. Louis and then to New York. She presently lives in New Jersey. During her professional career, Lillian stayed very involved in the Japanese American community by serving as the president of the Japanese American Service Committee and as the governor of the Midwest District Council of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL).

Source: Kimura, Lillian Chieko