Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/656/

A teenager's memories of how a local newspaper misrepresented Japanese Americans

Back in 19... I think that was about '37, we used to have what you call a neighborhood gangs, we were like in our early teens, ten, twelve, thirteen in that area. And each neighborhood used to have their little turf that they covered. And right behind the City, City Light, there was an open vacant lot because it was unstable ground and they never fixed that area because of the slide. And we used to have slingshot fights, and we used to have maybe fifteen, twenty, thirty of each gang get together and we have a slingshot fight. And one day, I remember, the Seattle P-I came over and took pictures of us, and we thought, “Oh, this is great, we're going to be in the newspaper.” But I think the caption read that “The Japanese are, Japan is training the little kids to be future soldiers for Japan,” or something to that effect. When they start writing things like that you just take another view of what's going on.


discrimination interpersonal relations

Date: July 25, 1997

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Larry Hashima, Stephen Fugita

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Nisei male. Born 1925 in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar childhood in Seattle's Nihonmachi. Incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka incarceration camp, Idaho. Refused to participate in draft, imprisoned at McNeil Island Penitentiary, Washington, for resisting the draft. Resettled in Seattle. (July 25, 1997)

Roger Shimomura
en
ja
es
pt
Shimomura,Roger

Grandfather's arrival in the U.S., experiencing discrimination

(b. 1939) Japanese American painter, printmaker & professor

en
ja
es
pt
Terry Janzen
en
ja
es
pt
Janzen,Terry

Moving to Upland Post-Camp

(b. 1930) Half Japanese and grew up in both Japan and the United States.

en
ja
es
pt
Virgil Westdale
en
ja
es
pt
Westdale,Virgil

Discrimination in Air Corps

(1918-2022) Hapa World War II veteran, pilot

en
ja
es
pt
Ben Sakoguchi
en
ja
es
pt
Sakoguchi,Ben

Allyship after camp

(b. 1938) Japanese American painter & printmaker

en
ja
es
pt
A. Wallace Tashima
en
ja
es
pt
Tashima,A. Wallace

“I could never get a job offer from a private law firm”

(b. 1934) The First Japanese American Appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals. 

en
ja
es
pt
Hikaru “Carl” Iwasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Iwasaki,Hikaru “Carl”

Visiting Deep South

(1923 - 2016) WRA photographer

en
ja
es
pt
Tamio Wakayama
en
ja
es
pt
Wakayama,Tamio

Resettling in Chatham

(1941-2018) Japanese Canadian photojournalist and activist

en
ja
es
pt
Mitsuru "Mits"  Kataoka
en
ja
es
pt
Kataoka,Mitsuru "Mits"

Facing housing discrimination in Rhode Island

(1934–2018) Japanese American designer, educator, and pioneer of media technologies

en
ja
es
pt
Mia Yamamoto
en
ja
es
pt
Yamamoto,Mia

Influence of Mexican culture after returning from camp

(b. 1943) Japanese American transgender attorney

en
ja
es
pt
Fujima Kansuma
en
ja
es
pt
Kansuma,Fujima

Dancing in Japan as an American, in the US as Japanese

(1918-2023) Nisei Japanese kabuki dancer

en
ja
es
pt
Fred Y. Hoshiyama
en
ja
es
pt
Hoshiyama,Fred Y.

Discrimination in San Francisco

(1914–2015) Nisei YMCA and Japanese American community leader

en
ja
es
pt
Roger Shimomura
en
ja
es
pt
Shimomura,Roger

Collection of artifacts depicting racial stereotypes influences art

(b. 1939) Japanese American painter, printmaker & professor

en
ja
es
pt
Frank Yamasaki
en
ja
es
pt
Yamasaki,Frank

Encountering racial discrimination at a public swimming pool

(b. 1923) Nisei from Washington. Resisted draft during WWII.

en
ja
es
pt
Jack Herzig
en
ja
es
pt
Herzig,Jack

His testimony has more credibility because of his race

(1922 - 2005) Former U.S. Army counterintelligence officer

en
ja
es
pt
Margaret Oda
en
ja
es
pt
Oda,Margaret

Gender discrimination in education field

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

en
ja
es
pt