It's My Right To Fight for America - Hawaii

This historically important and exceptionally rare poster was created to encourage Japanese Americans to enlist in the 442nd Infantry Regiment, which would become the most highly decorated regiment in US history for its size. This poster was exclusively printed and advertised in Hawaii.

One of the darkest parts of American involvement in WWII was the government's treatment of Japanese American civilians at home. During the length of the war, over 127,000 citizens were placed into concentration camps over unfounded fears of spy programs and other conspiracies. Qualification for being placed in a camp rested solely on heritage and deep-seated prejudice, and families were forcibly detained and torn apart. In geographically remote Hawaii, there was an even higher percentage of the population that was of Japanese descent, and Executive Order 9066 was slightly less enforced than on the mainland. While less likely to be imprisoned, Japanese-Americans in Hawaii were forcibly required to speak English and enlist in the fight overseas. This poster was created to pressure as many of these citizens to enlist as possible.

The 442nd Infantry Regiment was almost entirely composed of second generation Japanese American soldiers ("Nisei" in Japanese). When it was formed in 1944, about 2,700 soldiers came to the regiment from Hawaii, and 1,500 came from camps. It eventually grew to about 12,000 soldiers and all were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The Regiment was awarded over 4,000 Purple Hearts and 4,000 Bronze Star Medals for their bravery and service.

Robert M. Jones (1913-1994) was an American graphic designer, printmaker, and illustrator. Like many artists, he created posters for the US Government during WWII. Scroll through here to see some photos of him at work on this poster and others in the 1940s. He later worked as the Art Director for Columbia Records from 1945-1953, (Following Alex Steinweiss) then worked for RCA Victor and other labels. He was awarded six Grammy Awards for his record cover designs.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is on paper and is in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.