During the 1920s and ’30s, Nisei girls’ organizations flourished in Los Angeles, then home to the largest Japanese American population. In clubs with names such as the Junior Misses and Tartanettes, girls learned leadership skills and took part in community service; they also enjoyed beach outings and parties. Often sponsored by the YWCA, Buddhist temples, and Christian churches, these groups served as a bulwark again racial discrimination, offering a welcoming space that helped young women navigate between parental expectations and the lure of popular culture.

City Girls examines the clubs and activities through which urban Nisei daughters claimed modern femininity, an American identity, and public space before and after the war.

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