Esther Newman
@esnewmanEsther Newman creció en California. Después de la universidad y una carrera en Marketing y Producción de Medios para el Zoológico Metroparks de Cleveland en Ohio, Esther regresó a la escuela para estudiar Historia Americana del siglo XX. Mientras estaba en la escuela de posgrado, Esther se interesó en la historia de su familia, que la llevó a investigar temas que afectan la diáspora japonesa, que incluye el encarcelamiento, la migración y la asimilación. Está jubilada pero sigue su interés por escribir y apoyar a las organizaciones relacionadas con estos temas.
Última actualización en noviembre de 2021
Historias de Este Autor
Henry and Helen Yasuda: Family Values, Nikkei Values - Part 2
27 de abril de 2011 • Esther Newman
Read Part 1 >>Only a few days after Henry and Helen’s wedding ceremony, Henry left for Korea where he was stationed for eight months before transfer back to headquarters in Tokyo. Helen joined him there. “The first chance we had,” said Henry, “I took her to Yamaguchi where my parents were still living and introduced her.” Helen drolly remarked, “you know how Japanese mothers size up their son’s wives.” “She took her through the whole village, introducing her,” replied Henry. …
Henry and Helen Yasuda: Family Values, Nikkei Values - Part 1
20 de abril de 2011 • Esther Newman
Yamato Damashi translates to “Japanese Spirit.” It’s painted in calligraphy on a scroll that hangs in the home of Henry and Helen Yasuda, a reminder of the Japanese cultural values that have sustained them throughout the years—doing one’s best, putting family first, a commitment to education, and expressing gratitude. The Yasudas are among the longest serving volunteers at the Japanese American National Museum, and have shared their knowledge with visitors since the Museum’s grand opening in 1992. Through JANM and …
Burt Takeuchi Lauds Heroes With “Valor With Honor”
13 de enero de 2011 • Esther Newman
Their families were in concentration camps. They were designated enemy aliens. Their rights as American citizens were denied. “The government did us a big wrong and we had to prove how wrong they were,” said Frank Shimada. “The only way to prove it was by going to war and laying our life on the line.” Shimada, who had been interned at Heart Mountain, Wyoming is one of more than a dozen members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team who appear …
Carol Misumi: Piecing Together Sustained Support for JANM
28 de octubre de 2010 • Esther Newman
When Carol Misumi laughs, she sounds more like 19 than 91, but this California native was indeed born in 1919. The retired home economics teacher uses her talents in design and sewing to continue her long-time support of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). Working from her home in Santa Barbara, Carol crafts unique items, such as wall hangings and purses, from vintage Japanese textiles that are sold in the Museum’s store. As Carol talked about her life, laughing easily …
Virgil Westdale: Farm Boy, Pilot, Soldier, Inventor, Author, and Gentleman
9 de septiembre de 2010 • Esther Newman
Virgil Westdale’s exceptional life story might never have been published had he not attended a Halloween dance. Unsure of what to wear, the World War II veteran donned his Army uniform of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, nearly sixty years after issue and still a perfect fit. On the dance floor, he met Stephanie Gerdes, who remarked, “it’s not really a costume, is it?” After many more questions spanning two years, the two collaborated on Westdale’s autobiography, Blue Skies and …
Yoshitaro Amano, Canal Zone Resident and Prisoner #203 - Part 7
18 de agosto de 2010 • Esther Newman
Part 6 >>Amano and the others stepped off the train at Pennsylvania Station on June 16. Guards escorted the group across the street to the Pennsylvania Hotel, onto a freight elevator and up to the fourth floor. They joined “about thirty other people quartered in rooms close to us. Most of them looked like they had been living in New York. Among them were four or five Japanese ladies and, considering the circumstances, it was a very pleasant surprise to …
Interview with John Christgau, author of Enemies: World War II Alien Internment
17 de agosto de 2010 • Esther Newman
John Christgau had just finished his first book, a novel called Spoon, when he began to search for a good story idea for his next project. The resulting work of non-fiction, Enemies: World War II Alien Internment, was more than a good story, and the issues Christgau raised therein still resonate decades later. Originally published in 1985, Enemies has just been reprinted with a new afterword by the author. The character-driven narrative features individuals of German, Jewish and Japanese descent. Especially …
Yoshitaro Amano, Canal Zone Resident and Prisoner #203 - Part 6
11 de agosto de 2010 • Esther Newman
Part 5 >>Few prisoners spoke directly to the enemy in protest but some were willing to speak up when ordered to do so. According to Amano, the military conducted a court martial of the soldier accused of shooting Kanesaburo Oshima, calling ten Japanese as witnesses. One courageous witness, Shindo Tamezo, testified that the soldier said, “I don’t care, he’s just a Jap” after firing at Oshima. After the accused soldier denied hearing requests to hold fire, Tamezo angrily called him …
Yoshitaro Amano, Canal Zone Resident and Prisoner #203 - Part 5
4 de agosto de 2010 • Esther Newman
Part 4 >>Spirits spiked and plummeted throughout the next several months that included the anxiety-ridden voyage aboard the Florida from Panama to New Orleans followed by long hours on a train through desolate territory to an unknown destination. A high point for the prisoners occurred on the train. An American soldier, fooling around by balancing his weapon on his palm, dropped the gun and watched it fall through a gap under a door. The prisoners expected to see harsh punishment …
Yoshitaro Amano, Canal Zone Resident and Prisoner #203 - Part 4
28 de julio de 2010 • Esther Newman
Part 3 >>On the evening of December 7, 1941, Amano recalled ordering his two Panamanian maids to bring whiskey and three glasses. He poured for the three of them and offered a toast to Japan’s victory and a toast to his love of Panama. On impulse, he grabbed the Japanese board game, go, before taking a last look at the home that held happy memories of his family and driving to the police station. Amano revealed his conflicted emotions: At …
