Work and jobs
Both Issei and Nisei took jobs within the camps, at wages set not to exceed soldiers' pay: $12 per month for unskilled labor, $16 for skilled labor, and $19 for professional employees. WRA staff was paid much more for the same jobs. Though public opinion mandated such low pay, dissatisfied Japanese Americans objected to losing their right to make a decent living. They had to use their sparse income for necessities, such as warm clothing and shoes.
World War II
(231)
Concentration camps
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Work and jobs
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1374 items
![Japanese Americans harvesting mustard (ddr-densho-37-408)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/f1/3c/f13c9227fa936fe96a026db41bc88fd7.jpg)
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Japanese Americans harvesting mustard (ddr-densho-37-408)
Original WRA caption: Rohwer Relocation Center, McGehee, Arkansas. One of many truck loads of mustard being harvested by the residents of the Rohwer Relocation Center on the land cultivated by the evacuees.
![Japanese Americans harvesting cabbages (ddr-densho-37-807)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/e6/eb/e6eb69d3b761487d66a46f4114b4b0f5.jpg)
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Japanese Americans harvesting cabbages (ddr-densho-37-807)
Original WRA caption: Jerome Relocation Center, Dermott, Arkansas. Cutting cabbages which have been left for winter harvest.
![Farmers loading truck (ddr-densho-37-83)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/2c/ae/2cae1ec0faaa1176f93dd85754e39faa.jpg)
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Farmers loading truck (ddr-densho-37-83)
Original WRA caption: Evacuee farmers loading a truck with recently dug potatoes at the farm at this relocation center.
![Construction of an irrigation gate (ddr-densho-37-566)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/35/85/3585632cd6da6631671702d546f43df7.jpg)
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Construction of an irrigation gate (ddr-densho-37-566)
Original WRA caption: Topaz, Utah. Vocational training class in farm construction gets some real action at the Topaz Relocation Center. Picture shows them getting practical class work in construction of irrigation gate.
![Japanese Americans plowing a field (ddr-densho-37-704)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/4c/df/4cdf8b702be9f27a419e68c254f19e32.jpg)
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Japanese Americans plowing a field (ddr-densho-37-704)
Original WRA caption: A tractor drawn disk breaks up soil of a new farm field from the sagebrush adjacent to the Minidoka Relocation Center.
![Japanese Americans harvesting spinach (ddr-densho-37-316)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/55/9c/559c2ff594df8fc52c86936792e3f9fd.jpg)
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Japanese Americans harvesting spinach (ddr-densho-37-316)
Original WRA caption: Trucking crated spinach from the fields to the packing shed. All vegetables which are not needed here are washed, iced and crated and sent to other relocation centers.
![Japanese American clearing land (ddr-densho-37-707)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/3f/88/3f883670ce106ac443f061d677cdae17.jpg)
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Japanese American clearing land (ddr-densho-37-707)
Original WRA caption: An evacuee drives a heavy tractor pulling a triangle of heavy railroad irons breaking off sagebrush. This is one of the methods of clearing off land of the sagebrush adjacent to the Minidoka Relocation Center.
![Japanese American blacksmith (ddr-densho-37-176)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/af/ff/afff2580d7f096219b5f32cf7bd02256.jpg)
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Japanese American blacksmith (ddr-densho-37-176)
Original WRA caption: Evacuee blacksmiths do all the blacksmith work necessary in the garage, at this relocation center.
![Japanese Americans working on camp water mains (ddr-densho-37-556)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/26/8c/268ccc0fef0c6f818897cd928a6a33d6.jpg)
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Japanese Americans working on camp water mains (ddr-densho-37-556)
Original WRA caption: Topaz, Utah. Young volunteer workers, residents at the Topaz Relocation Center, completing the water mains.
![Japanese American farmers eating lunch (ddr-densho-37-363)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/84/77/8477e0f7297b84bbfef60b45f05b366e.jpg)
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Japanese American farmers eating lunch (ddr-densho-37-363)
Original WRA caption: A view in the lunch shed at the farm. Trucks from the kitchens bring hot lunches to the workers.
![Two Japanese American farmers (ddr-densho-37-85)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/2d/a4/2da4b4ae9ef70b74c827845ffdd6d52f.jpg)
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Two Japanese American farmers (ddr-densho-37-85)
Original WRA caption: Two women of Japanese ancestry pause from their potatoe harvesting to pose for this picture.
![Japanese American workers loading scrap lumber (ddr-densho-37-555)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/37/7f/377f87d02b4addbc6e83578372b4cb05.jpg)
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Japanese American workers loading scrap lumber (ddr-densho-37-555)
Original WRA caption: Topaz, Utah. A group of volunteer workers at the Topaz Relocation Center gathering a truck load of scrap lumber from the contractor's scrap pile.
![Butcher house (ddr-densho-37-347)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/4e/d5/4ed5b6964dfc3497da45e37c7d98b449.jpg)
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Butcher house (ddr-densho-37-347)
Original WRA caption: A view in the slaughter house and butcher shop. Hogs, which are grown in the evacuee run hog farm, are slaughtered here, for consumption by the residents of the center.
![Japanese Americans cutting seed potatoes (ddr-densho-37-353)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/bb/6f/bb6f22f9012e5457e96419f53f78aa93.jpg)
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Japanese Americans cutting seed potatoes (ddr-densho-37-353)
Original WRA caption: Seed potato cutting at the cutting sheds of the Tule Lake Relocation Center farm. 7,500 sacks of potatoes will be cut by 48 workers in 2-1/2 weeks. This will be enough seeds to plant the 600 acres.
![Japanese American carpenter (ddr-densho-37-383)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/eb/cc/ebccb3550b8e69b33d27acb3bf3861e1.jpg)
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Japanese American carpenter (ddr-densho-37-383)
Original WRA caption: Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. Cabinet worker's saw is expertly used by Jime Kabayashi, 62, on the interior construction of general store Number 2 at this War Relocation Authority center for evacuees of Japanese descent. Jime, prior to evacuation, had resided in Sacramento for 24 years and has been a carpenter for …
![Hair salon (ddr-densho-37-149)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/03/07/0307a9e60c8ef426202dd42219b011ae.jpg)
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Hair salon (ddr-densho-37-149)
Original WRA caption: This beauty parlour is operated by the Tule Lake Co-operative Enterprise, Inc. Patrons are charged a nominal fee.
![Sugar beet farmers (ddr-densho-328-292)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/d1/a5/d1a5e00db0c30471eb73608a2a6390e7.jpg)
![Nisei woman (ddr-densho-325-174)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/be/61/be61c076f30c10973d2481e019cc1ec3.jpg)
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Nisei woman (ddr-densho-325-174)
Hisa Nimura in her hospital aide uniform. The handwritten inscription on the front of the photograph reads "To Sumito Sincerely Hisa". Written on the back of the photograph "July 1944).
![Sugar beet farmers (ddr-densho-328-290)](https://ddr.densho.org/media/cache/9e/df/9edff7cece43d39111a711068e1b10aa.jpg)