Aloha e,
We were saddened to learn of Barbara Kawakami’s death at age 103 in December 2024. Barbara was an outstanding public historian. Education enabled her storied career, but she was not a university faculty member. She shared from her home, and many showed up on her doorstep, seeking her knowledge on Hawai‘i’s plantation era. Among people who came to learn from Barbara included local academicians looking for details for a paper, visiting linguistics professors seeking help with older Japanese language dialects (of which Barbara was conversant), and representatives of national museums, like the Smithsonian Institution and the Japanese American National Museum, wanting information on vintage kimono. Most would go away enriched in historical knowledge, and probably with fruit from Barbara’s yard or a loaf of homemade banana bread!
Barbara was born in Japan, and was brought to Hawai‘i by her family when she was 3 years old. She was forced to drop out of school so she could help her family earn income. After spending 38 years as a plantation dressmaker, she finally obtained her GED and entered college at age 53. She earned BS in fashion design and later an MA in Asian Studies. Barbara did all this and raised 3 children while writing and publishing two award-winning books: Japanese Immigrant Clothing in Hawai‘i: 1885-1941 and Picture Bride Stories.
On a personal level, Barbara introduced this transplant from Ohio to her many contacts and to the stories of immigration from Japan and life in plantation era Hawai‘i. This allowed us to collect and share those stories on our Rice & Roses television series and to preserve memories of those days in Hawai‘i.
Although Barbara is gone, her contributions to historical knowledge in our community will continue through her academic work and through the many lives she has enriched by sharing her experiences. You can see many of her remembrances on our AQ McElrath website: www.laborhistoryhawaii.org
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Chris Conybeare, Executive Producer
NOTE: For those who missed the TV premiere of Ah Quon McElrath: The Struggle Never Ends! or want to watch it again, on PBS Hawaiʻi Presents. If you are outside Hawaiʻi us PBS Hawaiʻi YouTube page:
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