Densho
The
Japanese Internment during World War II was a bleak part of
American history, a point in time that many people don’t
want to remember. Luckily through programs like the Densho
Project the public can learn of the experiences of the Japanese
victims so that history will not be forgotten or repeat it-self.
The Densho Project gave us a great opportunity to hear the
personal stories of victims of the Japanese internment. In my
research I focused on how being Japanese and American during the
internment affected one’s identity. Shoshuke Sasaki’s
story shows how even as a child their identity was greatly
determined by their Japanese heritage. When he was at school many
of the Caucasian children would call him a "Jap." Not
following the stereotype of Japanese who avoided fights, he
objected to the name. Because of this he was beaten up so many
times, that his father finally told him to stop objecting because
he was getting frequent nosebleeds. Another victim, Shizuko
Norton shares how she felt ashamed of being different. She
remembered a day in grade school when her teacher assigned
everyone hakyjin names in class, but she objected because while
everyone else received names like Mary and Betty, she was given
the name Chizziko. She felt different because they spoke a
different language at home, her parents looked different and they
ate different food.
Shoshuke Sasaki and Shizuko Norton are just a few of the many
people included on the Densho projected who were greatly impacted
by the Japanese internment. I found the research very helpful
because it helped me to relate to Ichiro and the other Japanese
characters whose lives were altered by the internment. It’s
one thing to hear about an event in history, but it touches on a
more personal level to see and hear it form someone who was
there, experiencing and living it. I feel as if I have a better
sense about what the Japanese Internment was about and how it
impacted the lives of people then and still today as each of us
struggle to find our identity as an American and within our own
cultures.