WP4: Victor Nishijima Oral History Interview

One of the primary sources I am using for my WP4 paper over Japanese Interment Camps is an interview with Victor Nishijima, a man who was forcibly removed from his home in correspondence with the Executive Order of 9066. 

First, Nishijima describes the Japanese phrase, shikata ga nai. shikata ga nai means "it cannot be helped". Many Japanese people used this philosophy to justify the unfairness and situations that followed WW2 including the internment camps. 

Nishijima talks about how he was staying in a hotel in Oakland, when a light shines outside telling him to "go home". He talks about how his family had to go down to Japanese Interment Camps. He had friends who would drive long ways down to come visit him. He talks about the different reactions to going to camp among his family. 

Nishijima describes the discrimination and how Executive Order 9066 affected his family and himself. He recalls going from feeling like something to feeling like nothing. America putting him in the concentration camps took away his rights and made him into nothing. He talks about waiting the 30 day period before being shipped off and the mental health strain it had.

I would recommend this source because it really helps personalize and understand the pain that the Japanese Internment Camps had. Leaving friends, family, going from a country where you a person into seemingly nothing. I really enjoyed this interview and how personal it got




Victor Nishijima oral history interview, part 2 of 8, 1998-08-28
https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/asset-management/2A3BF1I2JV87

Comments

  1. Mackenzie JApril 6, 2022 at 11:33 PM

    Hi Lucas - I think it’s good that you found a video interview for one of your sources and I think that will be really beneficial for your paper. Since this topic is usually covered up or watered down from the reality of what happened, I think an interview helps show perspective from the event.

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  2. UnknownApril 7, 2022 at 7:19 PM

    This is an amazing source! Personal accounts really place a humanistic perspective into such an inhumane event. Having such a deep personal and emotional account definitely adds depth to the importance in reorganizing how this event is taught in history. - Gina P.

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  3. GoldenHornedGoatMay 2, 2022 at 2:12 AM

    Sorry for the late comment.
    Love interviews and glad you found one for this topic. The personal side of history really needs to be shined on more, and this helps.

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