Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1444/

Visiting Deep South

And what was interesting to me was in the Deep South, to see the black people restricted to the water fountains. Movie theaters they were restricted. And to ride in the bus, they had to sit in the last couple seats in the rear of the bus. Whereas I was able to sit anywhere. I photographed the water fountains and inside of a bus...and a theater. But it’s back in Washington somewhere. But that was really shocking to me, to see all of this, when we’re working with the relocation people.


discrimination interpersonal relations segregation Southern United States

Date: December 3, 2009

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Hikaru Carl Iwasaki (b. 1923) grew up in San Jose, California, developing his interest in photography while working on his high school newspaper and yearbook. With Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, the Iwasaki Family was sent to the Santa Anita Assembly Center and then to a concentration camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming—where he was forbidden to have a camera. He was given a job as an X-ray technician in the hospital where the head of the camp newspaper took notice of his abilities and recommended him for work as a photographic darkroom technician with the War Relocation Authority photo unit in Denver, Colorado. Within a year, Iwasaki had become a WRA photographer, traveling freely around the country, assigned to document hundreds of Japanese Americans who had left camp and begun resettlement in various regions of the U.S. After the War, Carl began a long career as a photographer for Life, Time, Sports Illustrated, People, and many other national publications. 

He passed away on September 2016 at age 93. (September 2016)

 

Mako Nakagawa
en
ja
es
pt
Nakagawa,Mako

Thoughts on relationship between Japanese Peruvians and Japanese Americans at Crystal City, Texas

(1937 - 2021) Teacher

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

Father interrogated by FBI, but not taken away

(1925 - 2018) Nisei educator from Hawai‘i

en
ja
es
pt
Roberto Hirose
en
ja
es
pt
Hirose,Roberto

The political effects on Nikkei during the war (Spanish)

(b. 1950) Nisei Chilean, Businessman

en
ja
es
pt
Henry Shimizu
en
ja
es
pt
Shimizu,Henry

Government sold Japanese Canadian properties for little money

(b. 1928) Doctor. Former Chair of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.

en
ja
es
pt
Gordon Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
Hirabayashi,Gordon

Questioning Curfew

(1918-2012) Fought the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066.

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

Challenges of finding a summer job

Judge, only Japanese American to serve on CWRIC.

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

Basic Training

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

Do it for all Asians

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Shigekawa, Sakaye

Traumatic experiences before camp

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Shigekawa, Sakaye

“Everybody went in like sheep”

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji
en
ja
es
pt
Kaji,Frances Midori Tashiro

Discrimination for Nisei doctors

(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor 

en
ja
es
pt
Sumiko Kozawa
en
ja
es
pt
Kozawa,Sumiko

Experiencing prejudice after the war

(1916-2016) Florist

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

Being Denied as a Japanese American Lawyer

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

en
ja
es
pt
George Takei
en
ja
es
pt
Takei,George

Asian Stereotypes

(b. 1937) Actor, Activist

en
ja
es
pt
Terumi Hisamatsu Calloway
en
ja
es
pt
Calloway,Terumi Hisamatsu

Discrimination faced in San Francisco (Japanese)

(b. 1937) A war bride from Yokohama

en
ja
es
pt