(This interview is audio-only. It contains raw footage used by Steven Okazaki in his 1985 film Unfinished Business.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.)","extent":"00:14:50","links_children":"ddr-densho-1012-7","creators":[{"role":"narrator","oh_id":134,"namepart":"Dale Minami"}],"format":"vh","language":["eng"],"contributor":"Steven Okazaki","rights":"cc","genre":"interview","location":"San Francisco, California","creation":"February 18, 1984","status":"completed","search_hidden":"Dale Minami narrator","download_large":"denshovh-mdale-03-a.jpg"},{"id":"ddr-densho-1012-6","model":"entity","index":"19 3894/{'value': 6786, 'relation': 'eq'}","links":{"html":"https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-1012-6/","json":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/ddr-densho-1012-6/","img":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/ddr-densho-1012/denshovh-mdale-02-a.jpg","thumb":"http://ddrmedia.local/media/ddr-densho-1012/denshovh-mdale-02-a.jpg"},"title":"Dale Minami Interview I","description":"Sansei male. Born in Los Angeles, California on October 13, 1946, and grew up in Gardena, California. Received B.A. in Political Science from University of Southern California, graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1968. Received J.D., 1971, from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California. Mr. Minami was a co-founder of the Asian Law Caucus, Inc., a co-founder of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, the Asian Pacific Bar of California and the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans. He was involved in significant litigation affecting civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans and other minorities, including Korematsu v. United States, a lawsuit to overturn a 40 year old conviction for refusal to obey exclusion orders aimed at Japanese Americans during WWII, originally upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in landmark decisions; United Pilipinos for Affirmative Action v. California Blue Shield, the first class action employment lawsuit brought by Asian Pacific Americans on behalf of Asian Pacific Americans; Spokane JACL v. Washington State University, a class action on behalf of Asian Pacific Americans to establish an Asian American Studies program at Washington State University; and Nakanishi v. UCLA, a claim for unfair denial of tenure which resulted in the granting of tenure after widespread publicity over discrimination in academia. Mr. Minami represents Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal skater, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, actor Lane Nishikawa, and others in the fields of media and entertainment. He is counsel to the National Asian American Telecommunications Association and the Asian American Journalists' Association. Mr. Minami has taught at University of California, Berkeley and Mills College in Oakland, CA and has been a Commissioner of the State of California's Fair Employment and Housing Commission, a Commissioner on the State Bar of California, Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, the Chair of the Attorney General's Asian/Pacific Advisory Committee and a Member of Senator Barbara Boxer's Judicial Screening Committee. He was Chair of the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund Commission, appointed by President Clinton in 1994. Mr. Minami has received numerous awards including the State Bar President's Pro bono Service Award, an honorary Juris Doctor degree from the McGeorge School of Law, designation of a dormitory at the University of California at Santa Cruz as the \"Queen Liliuokalani-Minami\" Dormitory, awards from the Coro Foundation, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, the Harry Dow Memorial Fellowship in Boston, the Fred Korematsu Civil Rights Fund Award, the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Japanese American Youth Center and the Centro Legale de la Raza. Mr. Minami is a partner with Minami, Lew and Tamaki in San Francisco, and specializes in personal injury and entertainment law.
(This interview is audio-only. It contains raw footage used by Steven Okazaki in his 1985 film Unfinished Business.
This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.)","extent":"00:10:42","links_children":"ddr-densho-1012-6","creators":[{"role":"narrator","oh_id":134,"namepart":"Dale Minami"}],"format":"vh","language":["eng"],"contributor":"Steven Okazaki","rights":"cc","genre":"interview","location":"San Francisco, California","creation":"October 4, 1983","status":"completed","search_hidden":"Dale Minami narrator","download_large":"denshovh-mdale-02-a.jpg"},{"id":"ddr-csujad-38-161","model":"entity","index":"20 3895/{'value': 6786, 'relation': 'eq'}","links":{"html":"https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-38-161/","json":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/ddr-csujad-38-161/","img":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/ddr-csujad-38/ddr-csujad-38-161-mezzanine-658cadf412-a.jpg","thumb":"http://ddrmedia.local/media/ddr-csujad-38/ddr-csujad-38-161-mezzanine-658cadf412-a.jpg"},"title":"George Naohara's handwritten annotations","description":"English translation of the annotations from \"George Naohara photo album\" (csudh_nao_0001), page 12: [Right] Japan declared a war, and Japanese Imperial Army attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. When the war broke out, Yuta Masukawa was visiting Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. He rode on a streetcar to get to Little Tokyo and bought a record, \"Shina no yoru,\" for his sister, Mitsuko. [Left] Alameda Street was a busy street and streetcars were running alongside the street. There was a Japanese school, which was called \"Banguru,\" on the west side of the street. I visited the post office to check my incoming mails. There was nothing for me. I came here, following my uncle, Koichi Naohara, who had been already settled in the United States. Although I came to the U.S. all the way from Japan traveling by a big ship called \"Kamakura-maru,\" there were no jobs available for me because of the Great Depression. I had a decent job in Japan, working for a post office, which was a Japanese government job, near the Hiroshima Station, and it was difficult for me to accept a job which paid me only 30 cents per hour in the U.S. While I was spending time alone and feeling lonely, I met Masukawa family which had eight children. I was pleased to learn that Mrs. Masukawa was Shuzo Myoren's sister who was from Karuga Asa-gun, Hiroshima. Once I met Mitzi, one of the Maskawa family's daughters, I fell in love. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nao_01_012","extent":"1 page, 8 x 8.75 inches, handwritten","links_children":"ddr-csujad-38-161","creators":[{"role":"author","namepart":"Naohara, George, 1919-2014"}],"topics":[{"term":"Identity and values -- Kibei","id":"45"},{"term":"Geographic communities -- California -- Los Angeles","id":"272"},{"term":"Immigration and citizenship -- Life in Japan and reasons for leaving","id":"2"}],"format":"doc","language":["jpn"],"contributor":"CSU Dominguez Hills Department of Archives and Special Collections","rights":"nocc","genre":"misc_document","status":"completed","search_hidden":"Naohara, George, 1919-2014 author","download_large":"ddr-csujad-38-161-mezzanine-658cadf412-a.jpg"},{"id":"126","model":"narrator","index":"21 3896/{'value': 6786, 'relation': 'eq'}","links":{"html":"https://ddr.densho.org/narrators/126/","json":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/narrator/126/","img":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/narrators/ygeorge.jpg","thumb":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/narrators/ygeorge.jpg","interviews":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/narrator/126/interviews/"},"display_name":"George Yoshida","bio":"Nisei male. Born April 9, 1922, in Seattle, Washington. Parents immigrated from Japan in the early 1900s. Attended Bailey Gatzert Elementary School and Washington Middle School in Seattle before his family moved to East Los Angeles in 1936. Incarcerated in Poston Detention Camp #1, Arizona, in April 1942. While in camp, helped organize the \"Music Makers,\" a dance band. Left Poston for Chicago in 1943, and was drafted into the U.S. Army. Underwent basic training in the armored (tank) corps at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and was subsequently assigned to the Military Intelligence Language School at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Married Helen Furuyama in 1945, and moved to Berkeley, California, and later to El Cerrito, a neighboring community. George earned his teaching credential and taught in the Berkeley School District for thirty-five years. He raised four children: Cole, Clay, Maia and Lian. Organized the J-Town Jazz Ensemble, a 17-piece swing band based in San Francisco, which performs at community events and festivals. Author of the book Reminiscing in Swingtime: Japanese Americans in American Popular Music, 1925-1960, published by the National Japanese American Historical Society, San Francisco, California."},{"id":"123","model":"narrator","index":"22 3897/{'value': 6786, 'relation': 'eq'}","links":{"html":"https://ddr.densho.org/narrators/123/","json":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/narrator/123/","img":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/narrators/bpaul.jpg","thumb":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/narrators/bpaul.jpg","interviews":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/narrator/123/interviews/"},"display_name":"Paul Bannai","bio":"Nisei male. Born July 4, 1920, in Delta, Colorado. Grew up in small mining and farming towns in Colorado, Utah and Arizona, until his family moved to Boyle Heights in the Los Angeles, California area. After graduating from high school, he tested discrimination and employment practices and eventually succeeded in obtaining a job at a bank. During World War II, his family was held in Manzanar concentration camp, California. Mr. Bannai joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and was later transferred to the U.S. Military Intelligence Service. He served in New Guinea and elsewhere overseas, was an interpreter for the Allied Translator and Interpreter Service (ATIS), and interpreted at the surrender of Japanese forces at ceremonies in Indonesia. Married and eventually resettled in Gardena, California, where he worked in the floral industry before founding the Bannai Realty and Insurance Company. An extremely active community and civic volunteer, Mr. Bannai joined the Elks Club as well as many veterans' and other organizations. He was elected to the Gardena city council in 1972, and in 1973 was elected to the California State Legislature. In 1980, Mr. Bannai became the executive director of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). In 1981, he was appointed chief director of the Memorial Affairs Department of the Veterans Administration by President Ronald Reagan."},{"id":"112","model":"narrator","index":"23 3898/{'value': 6786, 'relation': 'eq'}","links":{"html":"https://ddr.densho.org/narrators/112/","json":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/narrator/112/","img":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/narrators/blorraine.jpg","thumb":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/narrators/blorraine.jpg","interviews":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/narrator/112/interviews/"},"display_name":"Lorraine Bannai","bio":"Sansei female. Born 1955 in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in Gardena, California, surrounded by a large Japanese American community. Influenced by father's role in community and politics, and mother's emphasis on education. Attended University of California, Santa Barbara where she became increasingly aware of Japanese American history, issues of ethnic identity and racial inequality. Attended the University of San Francisco School of Law where she honed her commitment to political and social activism. Only a few years out of law school, she joined a team of lawyers working to reopen the Supreme Court's 1944 decision in Korematsu v. United States. Convicted of violating the exclusion order during World War II, Mr. Korematsu's case went all the way to the Supreme Court where the exclusion and incarceration of Japanese Americans was upheld as constitutional, based on the government's argument of \"military necessity.\" Through a petition for writ of error coram nobis (establishing that the case was premised on errors of fact withheld from the judge and the defense by the prosecution), the legal team reopened the case, provided evidence that the factual underpinnings to the exclusion orders were fraudulent, and successfully had the Korematsu conviction vacated, as well as a handful of other similar convictions. In this interview, Ms. Bannai discusses the coram nobis legal team, the support for the effort among the Japanese American community, and personal lessons gained from being a part of this effort."},{"id":"ddr-csujad-38-3","model":"entity","index":"24 3899/{'value': 6786, 'relation': 'eq'}","links":{"html":"https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-csujad-38-3/","json":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/ddr-csujad-38-3/","img":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/ddr-csujad-38/ddr-csujad-38-3-mezzanine-1a5261de31-a.jpg","thumb":"http://ddrmedia.local/media/ddr-csujad-38/ddr-csujad-38-3-mezzanine-1a5261de31-a.jpg"},"title":"George Naohara's handwritten annotation","description":"English translation of handwritten annotation from \"George Naohara photo album\" (csudh_nao_0001), page 5: When I went to the Manzanar camp in California, late Hiromu Sasaki took me to Maryknoll School, which was a Japanese language school located on Alameda Blvd, Los Angeles, California. I remember I packed my birth certificate, clothes, and other necessities into my suitcase. Because of the outbreak of the war, I was sent to the camp. I was convoyed from Maryknoll School to Union Station and directed to a train. I do not remember how many hours I was riding on the train. On the way, they gave me a large box. There was enough food for lunch, including oranges. The train arrived at the Manzanar camp. I saw military police from the train. I was instructed to stay in the train and wait until called. I was called. I received two blankets. The staff guided me to the assigned room. I do not remember how many people were there but maybe five to six people were Kibei young men. I was introduced to them and placed my luggage on my assigned cotton bed. On the first day, the wind grew strong. The windows in barracks were not covered with glass, and the sandy dust came in through the windows. I swept the floor to remove the dust. I saw an unfamiliar young man talking to someone outside. I learned that Dr. Shimizu was also incarcerated in the Manzanar camp. I entered a school in the camp, and later I learned that the school was operated by Dr. Shimizu. There were only Kibei young men in my room. They spoke in Japanese. I learned that they attended the Maryknoll School. Mr. Oshita was one of the Kibei young men and was sent from Marysville to the camp. Mr. Oshita and I were fluent in English and Japanese, and I remember we were asked to perform Kanichi and Omiya which was a play based on a love story written by Koyo Ozaki. I played a female role, Omiya, and Mr. Oshita acted Kanichi. The play was fun and people liked it very much. I went to work every day, climbing up a hill by truck and digging a 10 x 10 hole for trash. Two to three months later, I went to work for thinning sugar beets which paid one dollar per hour. My destination was Idaho. See this object in the California State Universities Japanese American Digitization project site: nao_01_005","extent":"1 page, 8 x 8.75 inches, handwritten; black and white","links_children":"ddr-csujad-38-3","creators":[{"role":"author","namepart":"Naohara, George, 1919-2014"}],"topics":[{"term":"Identity and values -- Kibei","id":"45"},{"term":"World War II -- Concentration camps -- Social and recreational activities","id":"195"},{"term":"World War II -- Leaving camp -- Work leave","id":"103"}],"format":"doc","language":["jpn"],"contributor":"CSU Dominguez Hills Department of Archives and Special Collections","rights":"nocc","genre":"misc_document","facility":[{"term":"Manzanar","id":"7"}],"status":"completed","search_hidden":"Naohara, George, 1919-2014 author","download_large":"ddr-csujad-38-3-mezzanine-1a5261de31-a.jpg"}],"query":{"query":{"query_string":{"query":"Los Angeles, California","fields":["id","model","links_html","links_json","links_img","links_thumb","links_children","status","public","title","description","contributor","creators","creators.namepart","facility","format","genre","geography","label","language","creation","location","persons","rights","topics","image_url","display_name","bio","extent","search_hidden"],"analyze_wildcard":false,"allow_leading_wildcard":false,"default_operator":"AND"}},"aggs":{"facility":{"nested":{"path":"facility"},"aggs":{"facility_ids":{"terms":{"field":"facility.id","size":1000}}}},"format":{"terms":{"field":"format"}},"genre":{"terms":{"field":"genre"}},"rights":{"terms":{"field":"rights"}},"topics":{"nested":{"path":"topics"},"aggs":{"topics_ids":{"terms":{"field":"topics.id","size":1000}}}}},"_source":["id","model","links_html","links_json","links_img","links_thumb","links_children","status","public","title","description","contributor","creators","creators.namepart","facility","format","genre","geography","label","language","creation","location","persons","rights","topics","image_url","display_name","bio","extent","search_hidden"]}}