Lawrence Toshimichi Yamamoto
Lawrence Yamamoto, who was born and raised in Hawaii before moving to Los Angeles, recalls what it was like being a child at the time of the forced removal of Japanese Americans. He describes the conditions that Japanese Americans were forced to adapt to at Santa Anita Temporary WCCA “Assembly Center” and Gila River WRA Concentration Camp. Yamamoto discusses the tension between himself and his father over the “loyalty” questionnaire; while Yamamoto did not want to leave his home in the United States for Japan and felt deeply loyal to America, his father, an American-born Nisei, answered “no-no”. He then speaks about the breakdown of the traditional family structure in camp, and his experience resettling in Los Angeles while family was still at Gila River. He reflects on the ways that his wartime experience influenced his personality and outlook, and discusses the discrimination faced by progressive-minded individuals in the 1950s.
