Densho Digital Repository - Hannah Hirabayashi Interview (Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-493-14)

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BY: So this leads me to a topic completely off of your own personal life, but what you think about something. So have you heard of the "model minority," have you heard of that stereotype or label?

HH: You mean like when Japanese Americans came out of camp?

BY: Yeah, yeah, that they were law-abiding, hard-working, good students, never caused any trouble? Are you familiar with that?

HH: Yes.

BY: So I'm really curious as to what you think about that. Do you agree with it, do you disagree with it? What do you think about that?

HH: About having that name?

BY: About that whole idea of Asian Americans, or Japanese Americans being the "model minority." What do you think about it?

HH: It puts us in a bind, I think.

BY: What do you mean?

HH: You know, you expect... you expect something out of somebody who... I don't know how to put it. The expectations are a little unreal, asking us to be someone that we're not.

BY: Have you ever personally felt that kind of pressure?

HH: No, not from the outside, I felt pressure to do well, but I don't know what that pressure was, I didn't know what it was all about. But our parents were, my parents wanted us to do well just to show that we as Japanese people are good people, make a difference.

BY: Do you remember your parents ever saying to you, "Ganbare," or "shikata ga nai" or any of those kinds of phrases?

HH: Not for education, anything like that.

BY: How about just in general, do you feel like, do you remember them ever saying that?

HH: Not really, no.

BY: All right. Do you think that there's anything positive about that idea, the Japanese Americans being the "model minority"? You talked about how it could put you in a bind, but do you think there are good things about it?

HH: Uh-huh, yes. I think we can be proud. I never thought of it, really, so I just don't know what to answer.

BY: That's all right, it's something that we're actually working on a little lesson about that, and I'm just curious as to what different people think about that idea of the "model minority."