Interviews
“I could never get a job offer from a private law firm”
I know when I got out of law school, well when I was still at Harvard, I remember interviewing for jobs, and nobody would hire me- none of the big firms. And one of the parts is, I talked to someone, “Well,” he said, “Well, we would like to hire you; your grades are pretty good, but our clients would never stand it.” So he said, “I’m sorry, I just can’t help you out.” I wanted to go into private practice, but I could never get a job offer from a private law firm. So it was quite apparent that the reason was racial discrimination. You see, this was of course before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which completely in the years after that changed the landscape on discrimination hiring. But in those days, it was okay and quite well accepted.
Date: July 2, 2014
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Sakura Kato
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association
Explore More Videos
Difficulty getting work during World War II
(b. 1921) Nisei businessman. Established "Made in Oregon" retail stores
Discharged from the U.S. Army after Pearl Harbor
(b. 1918) Founder Azumano Travel
Stereotypes about Japanese: past and present (Spanish)
(b. 1937) Professional journalist
World War II hysteria against Japanese in New York City
(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist
Being an American soldier and an "enemy alien"
(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation
Not relating to Japan Americans' experiences on the mainland
(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation
Living conditions in prison while serving time for resisting the draft
(b. 1925) Draft resister
Talking to children about decision to resist the draft during World War II
(b. 1925) Draft resister
Reflecting on Japanese Americans' response to incarceration
(b. 1925) Draft resister