Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1701/

Camp stories impact on her career

When I was growing up I never heard about it. Back in the 50s and 60s it was something to be ashamed of. And, but it’s interesting because in church all the other Nisei who had been in camp, they would do like skits and things where they would have ‘Topaz’ on the back and they really made it sound to to the children that it really was not a bad thing. And, we were just fine, and we were with our friends there, and it was okay and it wasn’t until really much later that my parents opened up and talked about what a horrible experience it was.

So, even though we didn’t hear about it when I was really little, as we got got older and especially as the Asian American awareness movement started, and then we started to hear about the experience and it was just amazing, to me, as a young woman to think about having my parents just told you’re leaving, you can carry a duffle bag with your things in it, and you’re gonna go to some godforsaken place in the desert. And it has sort of a affected the way that I look at life, the way I look at government, and the way that I look at the law and how it is as a judge, now, being a Japanese American judge, to me means this will never happen again to our people, and it should mean that it won’t happen to anybody else either. I gotta-- wipe that [tear] away…


emotions governments shame World War II World War II camps

Date: July 11, 2019

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Kayla Tanaka

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

Interviewee Bio

Judge Holly J. Fujie is a Sansei judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California since 2012. She grew up in West Oakland, California in a diverse neighborhood. Both of her parents were incarcerated as children during World War II, but did not share their experiences with her until she was an adult. This affected her view on laws and government and led her to pursue a career as an attorney and later as a judge.

As a lawyer, she became involved with various minority bar association, including the Japanese American Bar Association, and mentorship programs. She became the first Asian American President of the State Bar of California in 2008. (July 2019)

*This is one of the main projects completed by The Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) Program intern each summer, which the Japanese American Bar Association and the Japanese American National Museum have co-hosted.

Jimmy Murakami
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Murakami,Jimmy

Reparations

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

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Harry Schneider
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Schneider,Harry

Meeting Hamako in Japan

(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service

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Harry Schneider
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Schneider,Harry

Meeting Mr. Amano

(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service

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Harry Schneider
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Schneider,Harry

Marriage and Returning to US

(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service

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George Takei
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Takei,George

Father's Influence

(b. 1937) Actor, Activist

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Susumu “Sus” Ito
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Ito,Susumu “Sus”

Feeling prejudice while looking for jobs

(1919 - 2015) Nisei who served in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

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Susumu “Sus” Ito
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Ito,Susumu “Sus”

Generosity of the Italians

(1919 - 2015) Nisei who served in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

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Susumu “Sus” Ito
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Ito,Susumu “Sus”

Invited to teach at Harvard by his boss

(1919 - 2015) Nisei who served in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

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Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
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Fukuhara,Jimmy Ko

The riot in Manzanar

(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan

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Willie Ito
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Ito,Willie

Father making shell brooches at Topaz

(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII

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Willie Ito
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Ito,Willie

The Dopey bank that survived the war

(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII

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Sawako Ashizawa Uchimura
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Uchimura,Sawako Ashizawa

Evacuated to the Jungle

(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.

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Sawako Ashizawa Uchimura
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Uchimura,Sawako Ashizawa

Captured by Guerillas after bombing of Pearl Harbor

(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.

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Robert T. Fujioka
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Fujioka,Robert T.

Grandfather picked up by US Army

(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii

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Tom Yuki
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Yuki,Tom

Father's business partner operated their farming business during WWII

(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.

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