South Jersey AAPI History - Seabrook Farms & Japanese American Internment
Seabrook Farms History
By: Tania Qurashi
Seabrook Farms is a family-owned business that grows, produces, and processes vegetables in Cumberland County, New Jersey. Its history began in 1893, when Arthur P. Seabrook purchased the land. By 1917, the farm expanded due to agricultural and commercial success. By the 1920s, the farm was operated by C.F. Seabrook and was dedicated to the production of canned and frozen vegetables.
Seabrook Farms was the major food supplier of the military and an important economic force in Southern New Jersey. During World War II, Seabrook employed local residents as well as immigrants from the Caribbean, Latin America, and immigrants from the Baltic region during the postwar period. Seabrook Village became the site of relocation for many interned Japanese Americans as Seabrook Farms suffered a labor shortage as a direct result of the war. In 1944, Seabrook Farms recruited about 2,500 interned Japanese Americans for employment.
Image courtesy of Seabrook Education and Cultural Center
By the late 1970s, Seabrook Farms could not compete with larger suppliers in the industry, and many Japanese American employees, among others, had left the company. Disputes between the family caused the company to fall out of family control. The company, however, is still run by direct descendants of the founder. Despite its eventual decline, its social impact in promoting a diverse community is acknowledged due to its history of providing employment, shelter, and education to families at a politically contentious moment in American history.
In 1994, the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center was founded by Japanese American community members as a commemoration of the unique multicultural community that was formed in the wake of wartime displacement and post-war relocation. The Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center houses photographs and records of the community. It is professionally staffed and is greatly assisted by volunteers. Today, The Seabrook Museum and Cultural Center is open to the public and serves as a memorial to preserve the lives and legacies of its community.
Seabrook Education and Cultural Center’s mission is “to preserve and make known the unique history of Seabrook, New Jersey in Upper Deerfield Township, Cumberland County as a place where people of different races and cultural heritage were given an opportunity to start a new life.”
Japanese Americans in South Jersey
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 that required individuals of Japanese descent to be evacuated from the West Coast and incarcerated in detention camps across the American West as well in the state of Arkansas. Japanese Americans were permitted to leave internment camps if they had job assurances and clearances to relocate. Seabrook Farms sent representatives to recruit Japanese American laborers from internment camps to help fill the labor shortage caused by the war. Although Seabrook Farms provided employment, shelter, and education to its laborers and their families, conditions were still rough for its workers, who worked 12-hour shifts and earned very little.
Many Japanese Americans established a community in rural South Jersey where they had some hope of freedom to foster a community in South Jersey. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act that provided monetary redress of $20,000 as well as an official apology on behalf of the U.S Government for the incarcerations that impacted the lives of individuals of Japanese descent.
While many Japanese Americans internees received monetary redress, some of the formerly incarcerated did not. Japanese Peruvians, several of whom later lived in Seabrook, were kidnapped from Peru and incarcerated in the United States and did not qualify for redress due to their unique status. Many of the residents of Seabrook Farms who received redress contributed to the founding of the Seabrook Farms Educational and Cultural Center in 1994.
Image courtesy of Seabrook Education and Cultural Center
History and Heritage of South Jersey
Many Japanese Americans continued to live in South Jersey and raise their families in Cumberland County after leaving Seabrook Farms. Throughout the years, Japanese Americans have shared national and regional arts, culture, and activities with the residents of South Jersey. The Seabrook Minyo Dancers, a renowned performance group, have highlighted the importance of tradition and expression.
The Seabrook Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League was established in 1946, the Hoh Daiko Drummers of Seabrook was established in 1991, and the Seabrook Buddhist Temple hosts annual festivals.
Every year, many South Jersey-based residents come together during the Obon Festival, a unique festival that honors traditional Japanese culture. It is a celebration of delicious food, captivating performances, and beautiful decorations as South Jersey residents are encouraged to attend and take part in this vibrant event to acknowledge the history and heritage of Japanese Americans and their contribution to South Jersey.
On Saturday, July 15, 2023, the Seabrook Buddhist Temple will host its 78th Annual Obon Festival. The event will feature Bon Odori dancing and Taiko drumming as well as food, games, and a meditation garden. The event is free and open to the public at 9 Northville Road, Seabrook, NJ.
Fine Arts in the Seabrook Museum
Today, a gallery of many works of art welcomes visitors to Seabrook Education and Culture. A large work on paper of a koi fish swimming over a pond marked by strokes of blue lines suggests ripples. A blossoming flower emerges from the ripples behind the fish in bold red lines. The artist, Tsutomu Jimmy Mirikitani, donated this piece to Seabrook Farms in appreciation for the hospitality he received during his visit. Mirikitani’s piece is one of many artworks made by Japanese Americans who have had a connection to Seabrook Farms. Another piece that stood out among the collection is a still life of a plant in a vase by artist Yoshi Shiratsuki, donated by Jean Garrison Fleetwood. In the caption below the painting, it recalls that many Seabrook residents planted flowers around the perimeter of the housing to enrich the bleak housing units. The piece is distinct due to its muted palette and quiet confidence felt by the texture and mark-making of the paint strokes. The plant is confined within a set of walls that perhaps alludes to the confinement of internment. Yet, the leaves of the plant continue to reach out against the threshold. The arts at Seabrook Education and Cultural Center are centuries of tradition, talent, and tension distilled on canvas and paper and an expressive archive of experiences.
On Saturday, July 15, 2023, the Seabrook Buddhist Temple will host its 78th Annual Obon Festival. The event will feature Bon Odori dancing and Taiko drumming, as well as food, games, and a meditation garden. The event is free and open to the public at 9 Northville Road, Seabrook, NJ. The event is funded by the New Jersey Council of the Arts/Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cumberland County Board of County Commissioners, and the Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
To visit Seabrook Education and Cultural Center for special group tours and internship opportunities, contact (856) 451-8393 or seabrookhistory@gmail.com
South Jersey Cultural Alliance would like to extend appreciation to the Seabrook Education and Cultural Center for their hospitality and generosity, as well as to Larry Ericksen for their contributions to this article.
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