Henry Miyatake Interview I Segment 5

Two frightening childhood accidents (ddr-densho-1000-53-1) - 00:06:27
Father's early life in the U.S.: trying to farm on an oil field (ddr-densho-1000-53-2) - 00:04:20
Father's prewar work in the U.S.: railroad and agriculture (ddr-densho-1000-53-3) - 00:02:33
Mother's family background and arrival as a "picture bride" (ddr-densho-1000-53-4) - 00:05:15
Description of older siblings (ddr-densho-1000-53-5) - 00:06:19
Prewar education, being "indoctrinated" at Bailey Gatzert Elementary School in Seattle (ddr-densho-1000-53-6) - 00:05:41
Standing out from the rest of the class: lactose intolerance (ddr-densho-1000-53-7) - 00:04:38
Being younger than fellow classmates (ddr-densho-1000-53-8) - 00:03:45
First encounters with racism: barred from viewing an airplane at Boeing (ddr-densho-1000-53-9) - 00:06:39
Being called names because of Japanese ancestry (ddr-densho-1000-53-10) - 00:02:50
Attending Japanese language school, not trying very hard (ddr-densho-1000-53-11) - 00:02:22
A houseguest from Japan: foreign policy lessons and the impending war (ddr-densho-1000-53-12) - 00:07:26
Media coverage of events leading up to World War II (ddr-densho-1000-53-13) - 00:07:56
Talking with houseguest from Japan about Japan's role in World War II (ddr-densho-1000-53-14) - 00:05:53
Meeting a Jewish classmate (ddr-densho-1000-53-15) - 00:07:39
Receiving a warning from a Jewish classmate about impending war (ddr-densho-1000-53-16) - 00:06:42
FBI seizure of weapons and radio equipment after the bombing of Pearl Harbor (ddr-densho-1000-53-17) - 00:05:38
Principal addresses curfew and other restrictions at a school assembly (ddr-densho-1000-53-18) - 00:04:00
Using "China buttons" to beat the curfew (ddr-densho-1000-53-19) - 00:02:45
Building a suitcase with a false bottom after talking with Jewish classmate (ddr-densho-1000-53-20) - 00:06:40
Jewish classmate stands up for Japanese Americans leaving school (ddr-densho-1000-53-21) - 00:03:14
Preparing for mass removal, selling off the family business and car (ddr-densho-1000-53-22) - 00:07:27
Parents' response to losses during mass removal (ddr-densho-1000-53-23) - 00:02:42
Free to use This object is offered under a Creative Commons license. You are free to use it for any non-commercial purpose as long as you properly cite it, and if you share what you have created.

Learn more...

ddr-densho-1000-53-5 (Legacy UID: denshovh-mhenry-01-0005)

Description of older siblings

00:06:19 — Segment 5 of 23

Previous segment Next segment

March 26, 1998

Densho Visual History Collection

Densho

Courtesy of Densho

ddr-densho-1000-53

Henry Miyatake

Henry Miyatake Interview I

01:59:00 — 23 segments

March 26, 1998

Seattle, Washington

Nisei male. Born April 28, 1929, in Seattle, Washington. Incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center and Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Had some key childhood experiences with discrimination that made him a self-described, "independent thinker," and later, an influential figure in the Japanese American community. While a teenager in camp, he wrote and defended an essay criticizing the United States' treatment of racial minorities. His teacher refused to accept his paper, resulting in a failed grade and preventing him from graduating. Postwar, served in the U.S. Counterintelligence Corps, where he was privy to classified documents detailing the placement of spies in the incarceration camps. After leaving the military, he worked at the Boeing Company, where he fought against discriminatory workplace practices. He was also one of the earliest proponents of redress, doing the research, planning, and organizing for the "Seattle plan," the first highly developed plan for obtaining redress from the U.S. government for the WWII incarceration of the Japanese American community.

Tom Ikeda, interviewer; Matt Emery, videographer

Densho

Courtesy of Densho

API