Interviews

1. Gained appreciation of his multiracial heritage through participation in Nisei Relays

2. Attending Japanese school

3. Making a speech in Japanese

4. Talking with Grandmother

5. Growing up and identity

Morton,Johnnie

(b.1971) Professional football player.

Attending Japanese school

I think I attended for 3 years. And then my parents finally broke down. It was hard going at first because, you know I’m a little kid going to Japanese school waking up like at 7 o’clock on Saturdays and most kids have their pajamas on with the big bowl of cereal watching cartoons and it was pretty tough. I’d always try to fake like I was sick at first and then my parents would say if I was too sick to go to school I was too sick to play outside so I’d suck it up and go to school and came back home and play.

education Japanese language schools language schools

Date: February 7, 2000

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

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

Interviewee Bio

Johnnie James Morton, Jr. was born in Inglewood, CA in 1971, the son of an African American father and Japanese American mother. As a child, he attended Saturday Japanese school in Gardena for three years. Growing up in Torrance, California, he graduated from the University of Southern California after a distinguished career as a student athlete on the Trojan football team.

Morton is a twelve-year veteran in the National Football League and currently plays wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. He has done some modeling and acting work, including an appearance playing himself in the film Jerry Maguire. (August 10, 2005)