Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/689/

Japanese American railroad workers are fired following the bombing of Pearl Harbor

The FBI—my dad, in order to get to his mail job at Great Northern Railroad, had to go under the United Union Pacific, the Milwaukee Railroad tracks. And it was railroad track that came right through into Spokane. Great Northern was a block north of that station, Union Pacific, but Union Pacific was all on girders. And they came in, you had to walk up to the railroad station, and underneath, we had to walk through to get to the employment, railroad. And the FBI says, “No, you can't do that. You can't be caught walking under a bridge, we're afraid you might bomb it.” And so they fired every one of the Japanese, and there were a couple of Italians working there, Felice and Mancheny, Clark, were working there. And they couldn't handle, even with the new, whoever they hired for the mail, the mail was all screwed up, it was going all over the country instead of to the right destination. So after, I think, thirty days, they had to rehire all the Japanese again, so the mail started to run in the direction they were supposed to be going.


discrimination interpersonal relations racism railroads World War II

Date: March 15 & 16, 2006

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Megan Asaka

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Nisei male. Born 1923 in Spokane, Washington. Spent childhood in downtown Spokane where parents ran the World Hotel. Father also worked as a mail handler for the Great Northern Railroad. Attended Lewis and Clark High School and Washington State University. During the war remembers seeing train cars pass through Spokane with Japanese Americans headed to Heart Mountain incarceration camp, Wyoming. Drafted into the army in 1944 and served at the Military Intelligence Service Language School in Fort Snelling, Minnesota and Presidio, California. After World War II, worked as a chick sexer in upstate New York and surrounding region for thirty years. Returned to Spokane in the mid-1970s and pursued a career in real estate. Currently lives with wife, Susie, in Spokane and is an active fly fisherman. (March 16, 2006 )

George Katsumi Yuzawa
en
ja
es
pt
Yuzawa,George Katsumi

Neighbors' sympathy after Pearl Harbor

(1915 - 2011) Nisei florist who resettled in New York City after WW II. Active in Japanese American civil rights movement

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

No immediate impact after Pearl Harbor

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

en
ja
es
pt
Masako Iino
en
ja
es
pt
Iino,Masako

Interest in Japanese migration studies (Japanese)

Tsuda College President, researcher of Nikkei history

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

Treatment of Japanese fishermen in Canada during World War II

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

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

Japanese Canadians get the right to vote in 1949

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

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

Japanese newspaper supported by Canadian government during World War II

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

en
ja
es
pt
Venancio Shinki
en
ja
es
pt
Shinki,Venancio

Memories of my infancy: Japanese 1, Japanese 2… (Spanish)

(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter

en
ja
es
pt
Venancio Shinki
en
ja
es
pt
Shinki,Venancio

Mistreating the Japanese community (Spanish)

(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter

en
ja
es
pt
Venancio Shinki
en
ja
es
pt
Shinki,Venancio

Prejudice in Japanese school (Spanish)

(b. 1932-2016) Peruvian painter

en
ja
es
pt
Robert Katayama
en
ja
es
pt
Katayama,Robert

Being ordered to keep a diary that was later confiscated, ostensibly by the FBI

Hawaiian Nisei who served in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

en
ja
es
pt
Barbara Kawakami
en
ja
es
pt
Kawakami,Barbara

Helping soldiers

An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.

en
ja
es
pt
Barbara Kawakami
en
ja
es
pt
Kawakami,Barbara

Okinawan discrimination

An expert researcher and scholar on Japanese immigrant clothing.

en
ja
es
pt
Yuri Kochiyama
en
ja
es
pt
Kochiyama,Yuri

Father as prisoner of war in hospital

(1922–2014) Political and civil rights activist.

en
ja
es
pt
Yuri Kochiyama
en
ja
es
pt
Kochiyama,Yuri

Patriotism versus loyalty

(1922–2014) Political and civil rights activist.

en
ja
es
pt
PJ Hirabayashi
en
ja
es
pt
Hirabayashi,PJ

Experiencing discrimination as a child

Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko

en
ja
es
pt