Discover Nikkei Logo

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1783/

Impact of her father

He was very stern and stork, a typical Nisei man, didn’t talk about anything. I’ve learned about everything through my mom, but my images of him being shunned by the camp leadership, because of his advocacy for the Issei, I’ve always been most proud of that. Standing up for the people that were the most unpopular and who were deliberately being disempowered by the majority of the leadership in the camp was the only image that I would invoke at the worst times doing the kind of work I do thinking about where I came from and I think about him I think you know, it’s a life well lived. If it’s always in in in search of some noble objective that’s about the common good, then it’s always worth it. No matter what you lose in process. So I know that not everybody has looked at the camps the way I do but I do feel as though it’s a legacy that I’ve got to live up to and that I’ve gotta fight for the people who are being mistreated because of their race. That’s what I’ve been given and that’s what I’m gonna go with. That’s a legacy and it’s a way for it not to be wasted on me. That you know that I got this gift, in many ways, of a perspective that not everybody has. That White people will never have, that is so valuable despite the pain of it.


activism families fathers imprisonment incarceration social action World War II World War II camps

Date: July 14, 2020

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Matthew Saito

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

Interviewee Bio

Mia Yamamoto is a Sansei transgender attorney and civil rights activist. She was born in the Poston concentration camp in Arizona in 1943 where her parents were incarcerated. She joined the Army and served in the Vietnam War. Inspired by her father's courage to speak out against the unconstitutional incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, she attended the University of California Los Angeles's School of Law and has been a leader in the field of social justice, including working with the Japanese American Bar Association. (March 2021)

*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.

Rose Ochi
en
ja
es
pt
Rose Ochi

“A Low Tolerance For Injustice…”

(1938-2020) Japanese American attorney and civil rights activist

en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Murakami
en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Murakami

Leaving Tule Lake

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

en
ja
es
pt
Francesca Yukari Biller
en
ja
es
pt
Francesca Yukari Biller

Writing a novel on the 442nd

Jewish Japanese American journalist

en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Murakami
en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Murakami

Introduction to Film

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Murakami
en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Murakami

Seagulls

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Murakami
en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Murakami

Reparations

(1933 – 2014) Japanese American animator

en
ja
es
pt
Harry Schneider
en
ja
es
pt
Harry Schneider

Meeting Hamako in Japan

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

en
ja
es
pt
Harry Schneider
en
ja
es
pt
Harry Schneider

Meeting Mr. Amano

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

en
ja
es
pt
Harry Schneider
en
ja
es
pt
Harry Schneider

Marriage and Returning to US

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

en
ja
es
pt
George Takei
en
ja
es
pt
George Takei

Father's Influence

(b. 1937) Actor, Activist

en
ja
es
pt
Susumu “Sus” Ito
en
ja
es
pt
Susumu “Sus” Ito

Feeling prejudice while looking for jobs

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

en
ja
es
pt
Susumu “Sus” Ito
en
ja
es
pt
Susumu “Sus” Ito

Generosity of the Italians

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

en
ja
es
pt
Susumu “Sus” Ito
en
ja
es
pt
Susumu “Sus” Ito

Invited to teach at Harvard by his boss

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

en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Ko Fukuhara
en
ja
es
pt
Jimmy Ko Fukuhara

The riot in Manzanar

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

en
ja
es
pt
Willie Ito
en
ja
es
pt
Willie Ito

Father making shell brooches at Topaz

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

en
ja
es
pt

Discover Nikkei Updates

CALL FOR VIDEOS
Pass the Food!
Be in our video celebrating Nikkei worldwide. Click to learn how to submit! Deadline extended to October 15!
NIKKEI CHRONICLES #13
Nikkei Names 2: Grace, Graça, Graciela, Megumi?
What’s in a name? Share the story of your name with our community. Submissions close on October 31!
NEW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
We’re on Instagram!
Follow us @discovernikkei for new site content, program announcements, and more!