Wesley K. Watanabe Interview Segment 1

Family background: parents settled in Tacoma, Washington (ddr-densho-1000-166-1) - 00:02:42
Family background: mother an older Nisei (ddr-densho-1000-166-2) - 00:03:08
Early memories of Kent, Washington (ddr-densho-1000-166-3) - 00:02:20
(ddr-densho-1000-166-4) - 00:02:01
As a child, having only vague memories of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and mass removal to Pinedale Assembly Center (ddr-densho-1000-166-5) - 00:01:31
Age seven in camps, memories of playing with friends and attending school in Tule Lake, California, and Minidoka, Idaho (ddr-densho-1000-166-6) - 00:03:47
After leaving camp, resettling in West Chicago: being the only Japanese Americans in neighborhood (ddr-densho-1000-166-7) - 00:03:56
Being the only Japanese American in school in West Chicago (ddr-densho-1000-166-8) - 00:02:39
Parents' values: importance of education, religion (ddr-densho-1000-166-9) - 00:04:41
Attending college, deciding to go into dentistry (ddr-densho-1000-166-10) - 00:02:50
Thoughts on racial identity during college years (ddr-densho-1000-166-11) - 00:04:07
Memories of dental school at University of Illinois (ddr-densho-1000-166-12) - 00:01:34
Little awareness of changing racial climate during the 1960s (ddr-densho-1000-166-13) - 00:02:23
Starting up a dental practice in West Chicago (ddr-densho-1000-166-14) - 00:03:40
Getting married and raising a family (ddr-densho-1000-166-15) - 00:01:09
Impact of the incarceration experience: "a sense of betrayal, anger" (ddr-densho-1000-166-16) - 00:01:46
Thoughts on the redress movement: thankful for the apology (ddr-densho-1000-166-17) - 00:03:54
Attending first camp pilgrimage (ddr-densho-1000-166-18) - 00:02:01
Thoughts the aftermath of September 11, 2001: "we just hope that history doesn't repeat itself" (ddr-densho-1000-166-19) - 00:02:25
Discussion about depictions of Japanese Americans in movies and books (ddr-densho-1000-166-20) - 00:05:04
Reading of a letter written by father reflecting on events in his life (ddr-densho-1000-166-21) - 00:02:59
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-1000-166-1 (Legacy UID: denshovh-wwesley-01-0001)

Family background: parents settled in Tacoma, Washington

00:02:42 — Segment 1 of 21

Previous segment Next segment

July 4, 2004

Densho Visual History Collection

Densho

Courtesy of Densho

ddr-densho-1000-166

Wesley K. Watanabe

Wesley K. Watanabe Interview

01:00:37 — 21 segments

July 4, 2004

Klamath Falls, Oregon

Ni-ten-gosei (Nisei/Sansei) male. Born May 20, 1935, in Tacoma, Washington. Spent early childhood in Kent, Washington, and was removed with family to the Pinedale Assembly Center at age seven. Family was incarcerated at Tule Lake concentration camp, California, and then moved to Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Resettled and attended grade school and high school in Chicago, Illinois. Completed dental school at the University of Chicago, eventually opening private dental practice in Chicago.

Alice Ito, interviewer; Steve Colgrove, videographer

Densho

Courtesy of Densho

API