Gordon Hirabayashi Interview Segment 1

Family background (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-1) - 00:03:12
Parents' religious background: the "non-church" movement (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-2) - 00:06:49
Hearing about the bombing of Peal Harbor (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-3) - 00:03:39
Coping with restrictions after the bombing of Pearl Harbor (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-4) - 00:03:05
Making the decision to defy the curfew (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-5) - 00:06:33
Impact of resistance on family and community (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-6) - 00:07:58
Circulating a written statement detailing reasons for resistance (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-7) - 00:03:17
Watching family and friends leave for camp (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-8) - 00:03:02
Thoughts on initial trial: expecting a guilty verdict (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-9) - 00:02:02
Community responses to mass removal: discussion of reasons more people didn't resist (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-10) - 00:07:52
Memories of jail: reunited with parents (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-11) - 00:07:34
The significance of the coram nobis cases (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-12) - 00:02:59
Deciding to enter into an interracial marriage (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-13) - 00:02:07
Thoughts on postwar reopening of case (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-14) - 00:05:47
Reflections on wartime experiences and the government's decision to incarcerate Japanese Americans (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-15) - 00:04:33
Receiving support in wartime stand (audio only) (ddr-densho-1012-2-16) - 00:04:53
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ddr-densho-1012-2-1 (Legacy UID: denshovh-hgordon-06-0001)

Family background (audio only)

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.

00:03:12 — Segment 1 of 16

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October 25, 1983

Steven Okazaki Collection

Steven Okazaki

Courtesy of Steven Okazaki

ddr-densho-1012-2

Gordon Hirabayashi

Gordon Hirabayashi Interview

01:15:22 — 16 segments

October 25, 1983

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

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 1943 the Supreme Court upheld his convictions. Some forty years postwar, in 1986, his case was reopened and his convictions surrounding the incarceration were vacated by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing in part that, "racial bias was the cornerstone of the internment orders." Gordon Hirabayashi passed away in January of 2012.

(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.)

Steven Okazaki

Courtesy of Steven Okazaki

API