Losing job with railroad because of being Japanese American

Memories of railroad workers who stayed at family's prewar hotel in Spokane, Washington Working as a night clerk at family's Spokane, Washington, hotel, throwing out the drunk residents Family's hotel clientele, transients traveling by rail Japanese American railroad workers are fired following the bombing of Pearl Harbor Losing job with railroad because of being Japanese American A racist encounter at a movie theater following the bombing of Pearl Harbor Encountering a train full of Japanese Americans being transported to a concentration camp Description of the process of chick sexing The rigorous work schedule of a chick-sexer in upstate New York The importance of speed and accuracy in the chick-sexing industry The enormous demand for chick sexers in the chicken hatchery industry

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I even got a job driving a car to post what trains were coming through Spokane: freight, passenger. And I got the job, but they found out I was Japanese, and, “Hey, you can't have a Japanese delivering train schedules.” They were afraid the Japanese would bomb or whatever these railroad and freight, freight cars loaded with war goods. I've seen tanks going through Spokane, you know, army tanks. I was fired immediately, on the spot. They found out I was Yamada, Japanese, and I couldn't have that kind of sensitive job delivering. I used to have to go into Hillyard Station and post arrival of a freight train coming through Spokane and that. And it was a job that was a good job, but they fired me on that.

Date: March 15 & 16, 2006
Location: Washington, US
Interviewer: Megan Asaka
Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

discrimination racism railroad spokane