Current Project
Nisei Resistance and Resilience​

A second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) born in southeastern Colorado, Dr. Allen Maruyama was an all-American boy, Following the Pearl Harbor attack, this popular high school athlete was confronted with immediate and "perilous rejection."  He "saw the face of the enemy" each time he looked in the mirror. ​

His life's story is one of overcoming "violent self-hatred" to reclaim his heritage and of achieving prominence as a national leader in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), based on his commitments to "human rights, peace, and justice."

Dr. Maruyama's biography is under contract with Wipf and Stock Publishers.

In His Words - Interviews with Dr. Maruyama

In High School

"I always saw myself as being sub-human, being less than a person."

During Basic Training

"A 6 foot 5 Texan saw me struggling and asked, "Allen, would you let me help you?"

Arriving in Dubuque

"It was the whole city of Dubuque that seemed to accept me for who I was."

Dr. Allen Maruyama's Life in Pictures