Densho Digital Repository
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Barbara Reiko Mikami Keimi Interview
Narrator: Barbara Reiko Mikami Keimi
Interviewer: Virginia Yamada
Location: Los Angeles, California
Date: February 5, 2019
Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-459-5

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VY: Okay, so your father and your granduncle were in Tuna Canyon, and you and your mom and your brother and your (grand) aunt drove to Marysville to stay with some friends?

BK: Right.

VY: And then what happened after that?

BK: Well, since everything was still uncertain, my mom felt that I should go to school, so she made us go to school. And so I think, I don't know how many days I went, but I know that I went. What I remember is that they called me a "Jap" and that really hurt me. And all I remember is I guess I was not really used to English yet, not speaking it, and so all I remember is the teacher made me stand by the (chalkboard), (and) on the board, (I) had to write my name over and over, I don't know, for the whole board to, I guess, make me learn how to write my name. And then so when I went home that night, I told my mom, "I don't want to go back there again." And so she knew it bothered me, so my mom thought, well, things were uncertain, she didn't know how long I would have to be going to school there, so she just said, "Okay, don't go. You don't have to go." And then soon after that we must have gone into camp, or we went into the assembly center. I guess that's when the Executive Order 9066 came out, and so we had to all evacuate.

VY: What center were you sent to?

BK: Well, we were sent to Merced Assembly Center. And I guess after we got there, my dad must have joined us at Merced, because I've seen pictures, group pictures where people are seated (...). They had decorated between two barracks and made an archway with morning glory. And so I guess they were real proud of that and so all the residents that worked on it took a picture, and I noticed my dad was in there. So I said, "Oh, he must have joined us there."

VY: Oh, interesting. So you know your dad probably joined you there from the pictures, but you don't have a strong memory of him showing up one day and being there.

BK: No.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2019 Densho. All Rights Reserved.