Carolee Okamoto
Carolee Okamoto is a Sansei who began writing and creating art in 2017, after retiring from teaching health informatics and information management at the University of Washington in 2015. Carolee’s late emergence into writing and art was spurred by a need to tell her parents’ story. Patty and Keith Okamoto were incarcerated by the War Relocation Authority at Jerome, AR, and Poston, AZ, respectively. Carolee grew up in south Texas, where she and her family were the only Nikkei in a town of 10,000. She graduated from the University of Texas and holds an MBA from Houston Baptist University. She later obtained a Residential Design diploma and a Fashion Marketing degree from the Seattle Art Institute. She retired from her healthcare consulting practice this year in 2024, but continues her interior design business. Carolee writes with the Omoide [memories] writer's group, which is a program of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington (JCCCW).
Updated February 2024
Stories from This Author
Remembrance
Feb. 15, 2024 • Carolee Okamoto , Kathy Nishimoto Masaoka , traci kato-kiriyama
In the spirit of “remembrance” with Day Of Remembrance programs happening all around the country — we feature personal tributes by two Sansei writers, Carolee Okamoto, based in Washington, and Kathy Masaoka, based in Los Angeles. Carolee’s poem honors the warrior within her grandmother, a samurai’s daughter and a farmer’s wife. Kathy’s essay pays homage to her late, older sister Judy Nishimoto and the influence of her passionate, determined, and powerful spirit. Enjoy... — traci kato-kiriyama * * * * …
The Elephant in My Rooms
March 30, 2021 • Carolee Okamoto
One day I was walking around my house, and something stopped me. . .in fact, startled me. I suddenly noticed that I had a lot of elephants in my house…and I mean. . .a LOT. An elephant door stopper. . .an elephant bell from Thailand…an elephant mobile . . two different elephant buddhas (Ganesha). . .I was even wearing an elephant t-shirt that day. I began thinking back to my childhood days…and drawing. Now mind you, I never ever considered …
In this moment
Feb. 18, 2021 • Rino Kodama , Carolee Okamoto , traci kato-kiriyama
While we typically link a theme together from the poems we receive from two or more writers, this month we're featuring two voices whose pieces are situated very personally within their own moments, within their own season. Seattle-based Sansei Carolee Okamoto just began writing in 2017 as a way to process her family history and shares with us a poem linked to the annual Day Of Remembrance commemorating the signing of Executive Order 9066. And at the top here, along …
I Matter: A Personal Reflection
Dec. 10, 2020 • Carolee Okamoto
On the news the other day, an interviewer was asking people on the street this question: “When did your race matter?” The interviewer asked people of all races. To those of color asked this question, the answers were instantaneous: “August 9, 1967,” or “When I was eight,” “July 3, 1956…” To white interviewees, the answers were quite different. They all sat there for several minutes… thinking about this question. One white interviewee said, “I guess I’ve never thought about this …
