Barbara Oyama Kawakami (born August 24, 1921) is a Hawaii-based author, storyteller and scholar specializing in Japanese immigrant clothing and Hawaiian plantation life.
Her English teacher noted her academic abilities and encouraged her to attend high school.
She later received her General Equivalency Diploma (GED) and entered college at age 53 where she earned a BS in Fashion Design and Merchandising and an MA in Asian studies.
[3] During her research, Kawakami noted a lack of information about clothing worn by Japanese immigrants on Hawaiian plantations.
Items from the collection are available to view digitally through the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA.