The Robert C. Sims family, the Department of History, and Special Collections and Archives invites you to celebrate Robert C. Sims and a new book, “An Eye for Justice: Robert C. Sims and Minidoka,” at a special event on Thursday, March 5.
The book features Sims’ writing on topics ranging from the Japanese American experience in Idaho, to other relocation centers in the U.S., to Japanese American soldiers.
Sims, the first dean of Boise State University’s College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs and a professor in the Department of History, discovered documents related to the World War II Minidoka Relocation Center for Japanese and Japanese Americans soon after his arrival at Boise State. This was the beginning of his life’s work: researching, documenting, writing and lecturing about life in the incarceration centers in general, but particularly Minidoka.
Sims had long talked about writing a book, but passed away in 2015 before that could happen. After the university acquired Sims’ archives, Cheryl Oestreicher worked with Betty Sims, his widow, Sarah Sims, his daughter, Susan Stacy, historian and Boise State alumna, Hanako Wakatsuki, chief of interpretation and education at the Minidoka National Historic Site and Boise State alumna, and others on this compilation of his work.
Join in the celebration of Sims and the book release, 4-6 p.m. Thursday, March 5 in the Student Union Building Simplot Ballroom B/D. The program begins at 4:30 p.m. with remarks by Nick Miller, chair of the Boise State history department and Robert Hirai, honorary consul of Japan in Idaho and past president of the Boise Valley Japanese American Citizen League.
“An Eye for Injustice” will be available for sale with all proceeds benefitting The Friends of Minidoka.