Interviews

1. Encountering racial discrimination at a public swimming pool

2. Loss of happy-go-lucky adolescence in Puyallup Assembly Center

3. Memories of dusty conditions at Minidoka incarceration camp

4. Making the decision to resist the draft

5. Thoughts on redress

6. Starting over after the war: denial of all things Japanese

7. Have compassion for all of humanity

8. Thoughts on post-9/11 atmosphere: what it means to be American

Yamasaki,Frank

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

Have compassion for all of humanity

I think what we talked about a little earlier about having compassion. Being aware that injustice doesn't only happen to us, it happens to others. Being more conscious worldwide. If there is such a thing as being a citizen of the world, that's what I would like to be. I don't like to choose sides, and say, Our team is the best. No, it shouldn't be, My team is the best, but it should be Our team. It should be all of us; we all should be concerned with humanity.

identity racially mixed people

Date: August 18, 1997

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Lori Hoshino, Stephen Fugita

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Nisei male. Born 1923 in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar childhood in South Park and Belltown areas of Seattle. 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.

*The full interview is available Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.