Descubra Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/pt/interviews/clips/1506/

Living through the Great Depression

The thing is, when you talk to others of that generation, they says, you know, you felt that way too? I says yeah, we had fun. We played. But we didn’t play - we had to make our own toys, out of wood and whatever. Amuse ourselves. But we ate three meals a day. I’m not saying we got McDonalds hamburgers. We didn’t get that, you know. But we did realize that the parents were going through all that. Today it’s the same thing, the families. They’re hand to mouth, is the way they’re living. They can’t get that...if you’re working somewhere...before the week is up.

But we had cases like that, we had many times it was like this. And sometimes, that I wasn’t realizing that my brothers told me, you know, mother went over to the neighbors asking for two or three dollars? And they would turn around a week or two later and they don’t ask, I’d like to have that two or three dollars now. No. They’d just come over and ask if they could borrow two or three dollars. Like the old days, they used to talk about your sugar jar is empty so you go next door and they can give you just barely give you maybe two spoons of sugar. But those stories are true. And if you shop often enough to the neighborhood grocery store, they says alright. They’ll carry you until you can pay for it. 


Grande Depressão, 1929-1939

Data: February 6, 2015

Localização Geográfica: California, US

Entrevistado: John Esaki

País: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Entrevistados

Jimmy Ko Fukuhara nasceu em 21 de setembro de 1921, em Los Angeles, Califórnia, de imigrantes japoneses, Ume e Ichisuke Fukuhara. Em 1927, seu pai levou a família para Santa Monica, Califórnia, e começou nos negócios de viveiro. Depois de graduar-se na Santa Monica High School, Jimmy trabalhou no viveiro até 1942, quando ele e sua família foram enviados para o campo de concentração de Manzanar.

Jimmy conseguiu deixar o campo de concentração cedo e mudou-se para a Pensilvânia com seu irmão mais novo, George. Em sessenta dias, Jimmy foi chamado para o serviço militar e ofereceu-se para servir na Escola de Inteligência Militar. Depois de passar pelo treinamento básico, Jimmy foi enviado para Tóquio, Japão. Lá, trabalhou para o Departamento do Trabalho no quartel-general do General MacArthur. Antes de deixar o Japão, ele visitou Hiroshima na esperança de contatar os parentes de seus pais. Após ser dispensado, Jimmy retornou à Santa Monica e aos negócios do viveiro da família. Jimmy continuou a trabalhar no viveiro com seus quatro irmãos até se aposentar em 1986. (Maio de 2016)