Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/968/

Treatment by Chinese students

I used to tell my friends that, you know, the Chinese people treat me better than the white people did on the West Coast. (laughter) And here Japan was at war with China, but they were very understanding. They treated me—they accepted me more as an American than anyone else.

In fact, one time, I happened to be in Chicago—University of Chicago—and the Chinese students said [to me], you know there's a banquet—Chinese banquet going on by the Midwest Chinese Student Club. so why don’t you come along, so I said, I can’t go to a Chinese banquet. Especially you know with the war going on and all that. But they said, oh, don’t worry, he said, we’ll get you in. So I went with them, and this one person went to the registration area and registered me in, came back and said, your name is Richard Wang, tonight.


communities community organizations discrimination identity interpersonal relations organizations racism

Date: July 1-2, 1998

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Mitchell Maki, Darcie Iki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Clifford Uyeda was born on January 14, 1917, into a family of oyster farmers in Olympia, Washington. Uyeda studied at the University of Wisconsin and from 1941 to 1945 attended Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, LA. Uyeda went on to become a medical doctor in San Francisco, CA.

Uyeda became involved in the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) in 1960 when he served as San Francisco Chapter chair of the Issei Oral History Project. He helped in establishing the School of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University and played an important role in restoring the U.S. citizenship and presidential pardon of Iva Toguri, also known as “Tokyo Rose.”

After retiring from medicine in 1975, Uyeda became a full-time activist. In 1977, Uyeda served as National JACL chair of the Japanese American Incarceration for Redress committee. He was elected to serve as president of National JACL from 1978 to 1980. Uyeda continued to serve the community in various roles until his death from cancer in 2004 at the age of 87. (April 11, 2008)

Richard Kosaki
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Kosaki,Richard

Under suspicion after Pearl Harbor

(b. 1924) Political scientist, educator, and administrator from Hawai`i

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Roy Hirabayashi
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Hirabayashi,Roy

The philosophy of playing Taiko

(b.1951) Co-founder and managing director of San Jose Taiko.

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(Jerome Charles White Jr.),Jero

Learning Japanese traditions by observing his mother and grandmother

(b. 1981) Enka Singer

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Mónica Kogiso
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Kogiso,Mónica

Nihongo gakko - Preserving Japanese culture (Spanish)

(b. 1969) Former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino.

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Peter Mizuki
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Mizuki,Peter

Not wanting to stand out as a foreigner

Sansei Japanese American living in Japan and Kendo practioner

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Frank Yamasaki
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Yamasaki,Frank

Have compassion for all of humanity

(b. 1923) Nisei from Washington. Resisted draft during WWII.

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Mónica Kogiso
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Kogiso,Mónica

Identity crisis (Spanish)

(b. 1969) Former president of Centro Nikkei Argentino.

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Marion Tsutakawa Kanemoto
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Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Hearing anti-American war propaganda from a teacher

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

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Jero  (Jerome Charles White Jr.)
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(Jerome Charles White Jr.),Jero

Never sang Enka outside the family

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Fujima Kansuma
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Kansuma,Fujima

Both Japanese and American identities though Japanese dance

(1918-2023) Nisei Japanese kabuki dancer

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Fred Sasaki
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Sasaki,Fred

Family background of Fredrick Yoshihide Sasaki

(b. 1918) Issei businessman in Canada

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Fred Sasaki
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Sasaki,Fred

Anti-Japanese sentiment at the time of World War II

(b. 1918) Issei businessman in Canada

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Ryoichi Kodama
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Kodama,Ryoichi

Affect of the World War II (Japanese)

Kasato-maru immigrants

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Jero  (Jerome Charles White Jr.)
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(Jerome Charles White Jr.),Jero

Coming to Japan

(b. 1981) Enka Singer

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Aiko Yoshinaga Herzig
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Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

Lack of political power led to camps

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

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