Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/927/

Interviews

Kinoshita,Cherry

(1923–2008) One of the leaders behind the redress movement.

Need for Monetary Compensation

And Henry was very strong and he and Shosuke are, I would say, the ones that convinced me of the rightness of individual payments. Of the rightness of asking for monetary compensation.

Apology fine, you know, we need that, but you need monetary compensation to back that up. Because—and the phrase that sticks in my mind is "our American system of justice" —you don't go to court and just say you've been wronged or damaged. There is always a monetary award. It's like Bill Marutani says, if you have a traffic ticket, you don't go down and apologize that you did wrong. The judge is not going to say, "That's fine that you're sorry." There is monetary, and that's our system.

And so gradually, you know, when they brought that out, it, then I gradually began to accept it. Because initially so many of us felt, you know, you don't ask for money. I mean, it doesn't seem right. Somehow it seems like you're asking for a handout and it was putting a value on this, too.


Henry Miyatake Redress movement Shosuke Sasaki

Date: September 26, 1997

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Becky Fukuda, Tracy Lai

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Cherry Kinoshita was born in 1923 in Seattle, WA. As a teen she was incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center in Washington and later Minidoka in Idaho. During her two and a half years behind barbed wire, she wrote for the camp newspaper, The Minidoka Irrigator.

In the ’70s she became active in the Seattle JACL movement for redress. One of Kinoshita’s many contributions was a grassroots lobbying effort to inform Washington State lawmakers on the injustice suffered by Japanese Americans during World War II. In dealing with politicians, Kinoshita’s secret weapons were persistence and patience. Notably, a congressman from the State of Washington introduced the first redress bill in 1979.

Kinoshita also organized a coalition of 16 major Japanese American organizations as redress supporters. At 60, in the midst of campaigning for redress, Kinoshita earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in sociology from the University of Washington. (April 15, 2008)

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
Jack Herzig
en
ja
es
pt
Herzig,Jack

Bringing the Japanese American community together through class-action lawsuit

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

en
ja
es
pt
Norman Yoshio Mineta
en
ja
es
pt
Mineta,Norman Yoshio

Finding supporters for the bill

(b. 1931) U.S. Former Secretary of Transportation

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

Thoughts on redress

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

en
ja
es
pt
Norman Yoshio Mineta
en
ja
es
pt
Mineta,Norman Yoshio

Getting Jim Wright to sponsor the bill

(b. 1931) U.S. Former Secretary of Transportation

en
ja
es
pt
Aiko Yoshinaga Herzig
en
ja
es
pt
Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

Positive experiences with Asian Americans for Action

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

en
ja
es
pt
Aiko Yoshinaga Herzig
en
ja
es
pt
Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

Redress payments to Issei who did not enter camps

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

en
ja
es
pt
Aiko Yoshinaga Herzig
en
ja
es
pt
Herzig,Aiko Yoshinaga

Waiting for the right time to start Redress Movement

(1924-2018) Researcher, Activist

en
ja
es
pt
Dale Minami
en
ja
es
pt
Minami,Dale

Impact of the original Korematsu case on current events

(b. 1946) Lawyer

en
ja
es
pt
Clifford Uyeda
en
ja
es
pt
Uyeda,Clifford

The unheralded help from beyond the community

(1917 - 2004) Political activist

en
ja
es
pt
Bill Hosokawa
en
ja
es
pt
Hosokawa,Bill

The Strength of Evidence

(1915 - 2007) Journalist

en
ja
es
pt
Bert Nakano
en
ja
es
pt
Nakano,Bert

Convincing the Beltway

(1928 - 2003) Political activist

en
ja
es
pt
George Yoshida
en
ja
es
pt
Yoshida,George

Sansei and the Redress Movement

(b. 1922) Musician

en
ja
es
pt
William Marutani
en
ja
es
pt
Marutani,William

Figuring out a dollar amount for redress

Judge, only Japanese American to serve on CWRIC.

en
ja
es
pt
William Marutani
en
ja
es
pt
Marutani,William

On hearing of CWRIC selection from Senator Inouye

Judge, only Japanese American to serve on CWRIC.

en
ja
es
pt