Gordon Hirabayashi Interview I Segment 12
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Densho
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SEGMENT ID
ddr-densho-1000-17-12 (Legacy UID: denshovh-hgordon-01-0012)
SEGMENT DESCRIPTION
Growing up in the small town of Thomas, Washington
00:04:35 — Segment 12 of 26
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Densho Visual History Collection
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Densho
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Courtesy of Densho
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Densho
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INTERVIEW ID
ddr-densho-1000-17
NARRATOR
INTERVIEW TITLE
Gordon Hirabayashi Interview I
02:53:51 — 26 segments
DATE
April 26, 1999
LOCATION
Seattle, Washington
DESCRIPTION
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 War II, he was one of only a handful of individuals to challenge the curfew and removal orders being enforced against Japanese on the West Coast, citing "Christian principles," and asserting "a duty to maintain the democratic standards for which this nation lives." He turned himself in to the FBI, was found guilty, and served time for violating the curfew order, and failing to report for "evacuation." While serving time for this conviction, Gordon was served with a draft notice and again, refused to comply. He subsequently served another period of time as a draft resister. In 1983, a team of attorneys filed a petition for writ of error coram nobis in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle. Gordon's convictions surrounding the incarceration were vacated by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on September 24, 1987, which argued in part that, "racial bias was the cornerstone of the internment orders."
PRODUCTION
Becky Fukuda, interviewer; Tom Ikeda, interviewer; John Pai, videographer
PERSONS/ORGANIZATIONS
CONTRIBUTOR
Densho
PREFERRED CITATION
Courtesy of Densho
RIGHTS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.