Steven Okazaki Collection
PARTNER
Densho
Visit partner
COLLECTION ID
ddr-densho-1012
DESCRIPTION
The Steven Okazaki Collection consists of interviews conducted by filmmaker Steven Okazaki for his 1984 Oscar-nominated documentary, Unfinished Business. The film profiles Gordon Hirabayashi, Fred Korematsu, and Minoru Yasui and their legal fight to have their World War II convictions overturned. The interviews are audio-only, and are typically not life histories, instead primarily focusing on issues surrounding the legal cases themselves.
INCLUSIVE UNIT DATE
1983-1984
BULK UNIT DATE
1983-1984
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
18 oral history interviews
CONTRIBUTOR
Steven Okazaki
CREATORS
PREFERRED CITATION
Courtesy of Steven Okazaki
RIGHTS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
18 Objects
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Fred Korematsu Interview (ddr-densho-1012-1)
Nisei male. Born January 30, 1919, in Oakland, California. Mr. Korematsu was working as a welder in San Francisco when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After Executive Order 9066 was issued in 1942, he decided to resist the evacuation orders, and was not removed with his family. He was arrested in May of …
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Gordon Hirabayashi Interview (ddr-densho-1012-2)
Nisei male. Born April 23, 1918, in Seattle, Washington. Spent most of his childhood in Thomas, Washington, where his parents were part of a Christian farming co-op. Attended the University of Washington where he was active in the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), the conscientious objector movement, and became a Quaker. At the outbreak of World …
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Minoru Yasui Interview (ddr-densho-1012-3)
Nisei male. Born October 19, 1916, in Hood River, Oregon. Earned a law degree from the University of Oregon law school and was practicing law prior to World War II. In 1942, deliberately defied the curfew imposed upon Japanese Americans in Portland, Oregon, and was arrested. His case was tried, and he was sentenced to one …
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Chico Uyeda Interview (ddr-densho-1012-4)
Nisei male. Grew up in Los Angeles, California. Family moved to the Fresno area to avoid going to camp, but was still sent to the Fresno assembly center, California. Was a member of an advance crew that went early to help set up the Jerome concentration camp, Arkansas.
(This interview is audio-only. It contains raw footage …
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Chizuko Iyama - Ernie Iyama Interview (ddr-densho-1012-5)
Nisei female and Nisei male. Both grew up in California. During World War II, Chizuko was removed to the Santa Anita assembly center, California, and the Topaz concentration camp, Utah. Ernie was removed to the Tanforan assembly center, California, and the Topaz concentration camp, Utah.
(This interview is audio-only. It contains raw footage used by Steven …
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Dale Minami Interview I (ddr-densho-1012-6)
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 …
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Dale Minami Interview II (ddr-densho-1012-7)
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 …
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Fred Korematsu - Kathryn Korematsu Interview (ddr-densho-1012-8)
This interview centers on the experiences of Fred Korematsu, a Nisei who challenged the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the mass removal of Japanese Americans during World War II. Mr. Korematsu lost his initial legal case in 1944, but in the early 1980s, his case was reopened after the discovery of a crucial document …
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Gordon Hirabayashi - Jim Hirabayashi Interview (ddr-densho-1012-9)
This interview is with Gordon Hirabayashi and his brother Jim Hirabayashi, and focuses on Gordon's World War II experiences. Gordon defied the curfew and removal orders in 1942, and was arrested, convicted, and imprisoned. Gordon Hirabayashi's conviction was vacated in 1986.
(This interview is audio-only. It contains raw footage used by Steven Okazaki in his 1985 …
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Gus J. Solomon Interview (ddr-densho-1012-10)
Gus J. Solomon, U.S. federal district judge from Portland, Oregon, was involved in Min Yasui's case on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1942, Min Yasui deliberately defied the curfew imposed upon Japanese Americans in Portland, Oregon, and was arrested. His case was tried, and he was sentenced to one year in prison and …