It is just part of me, I grew up with my grandparents – they were very proud to be Japanese. I was always very secure in being Japanese and Japanese American. The roots and the values—my family was very proud of their samurai roots. And so they emphasized honor, integrity, your word has to be relied upon, how you conduct yourself, it reflected upon everybody else—not just your family—pride in trying to accomplish things. I think the Japanese roots are also the reason why education was so emphasized.
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum; Japanese American Bar Association
Interviewee Bio
Judge Fumiko Hachiya Wasserman is a Sansei judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California. She was born in Torrance, California and grew up in Harbor City, California. She was the first Asian American female hired by the US Attorney’s office in the Civil Division, the first minority elected official in the Torrance School Board, and the first judge to ever serve on the LA Biomedical Research Institute. She currently serves in the Los Padrinos Courthouse as the site judge. She grew up in a diverse and welcoming neighborhood and felt secure in being Japanese American. She is involved with the Japanese American community, works to promote diversity, and she mentors lawyers and judges. (June 2018)