Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1171/

Discrimination for Nisei doctors

I'm not positive, now, I'm sure you could research this yourself. But back then, even though you graduated medical school, lot of hospitals would not take you on as an intern. And even if you were hired as an intern, they paid, like, fifty dollars a month. I used to hear these numbers and they'd be yucking it up, you know. "Who could get along?" They were at the bottom of the totem pole. And if you're a "Jap," that's the least amount of chance you had. But because I think a lot of these Nisei doctors graduated maybe in the top so many percentage, but they didn't have a chance of being hired or brought on board.


discrimination generations hospitals internships interpersonal relations Japanese hospitals medicine Nisei

Date: September 21, 2009

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Tom Ikeda, Martha Nakagawa

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Nisei female. Born April 30, 1928, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in Gardena and her father was a prominent medical physician in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. During World War II, removed to the Poston incarceration camp, Arizona. Left camp with family to work on a sugar beet farm in Colorado, and eventually returned to Los Angeles, where father reestablished medical practice. She passed away in November 2016 at the age of 88. (April 2020)

Bert A. Kobayashi
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Kobayashi,Bert A.

Postwar discrimination

(b.1944) Founder of Kobayashi Group, LLC

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Gene Akutsu
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Akutsu,Gene

Living conditions in prison while serving time for resisting the draft

(b. 1925) Draft resister

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Gene Akutsu
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Akutsu,Gene

Talking to children about decision to resist the draft during World War II

(b. 1925) Draft resister

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Gene Akutsu
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Akutsu,Gene

Reflecting on Japanese Americans' response to incarceration

(b. 1925) Draft resister

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Gene Akutsu
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Akutsu,Gene

Speak out for your beliefs

(b. 1925) Draft resister

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Mako Nakagawa
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Nakagawa,Mako

Thoughts on relationship between Japanese Peruvians and Japanese Americans at Crystal City, Texas

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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Richard Mamiya
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Mamiya,Richard

Former child patient turned professional volleyball player

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

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Margaret Oda
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Oda,Margaret

Father interrogated by FBI, but not taken away

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

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Roberto Hirose
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Hirose,Roberto

The political effects on Nikkei during the war (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

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Roberto Hirose
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Hirose,Roberto

Nikkei vs. Nisei (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

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Henry Shimizu
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Shimizu,Henry

Government sold Japanese Canadian properties for little money

(b. 1928) Doctor. Former Chair of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.

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Gordon Hirabayashi
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Hirabayashi,Gordon

Questioning Curfew

(1918-2012) Fought the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066.

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William Marutani
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Marutani,William

Challenges of finding a summer job

Judge, only Japanese American to serve on CWRIC.

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Young O. Kim
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Kim,Young O.

Basic Training

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

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Young O. Kim
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Kim,Young O.

Do it for all Asians

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

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