Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Chizuko Norton Interview
Narrator: Chizuko Norton
Interviewer: Alice Ito
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: April 27, 1998
Densho ID: denshovh-nchizuko-01-0034

<Begin Segment 34>

AI: Well, I wanted to ask you about dating. And I have heard from other women that it was really still rather uncommon, but that more and more interracial dating was happening in those years, things were opening up. And I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about that from, about your personal experience.

CN: Yeah. It was when, in 1946, it was very, not very common. And, but, as I say, we started out as good friends. I mean, as friends and became good friends. And I had, when I was in high school, though I didn't date, I had about three good friends who happened to be boys, and they're still good friends of mine. And so I really didn't think too much of it. Though it shocked me when I later heard that my husband went home and told his family that he had met someone that he was going to marry -- and this was early on. But we did become friends and then we married as students.

AI: Well, tell me what kinds of reactions did you have from your friends and your family.

CN: From both my Caucasian friends and my Nisei friends -- they suggested I not do it.

AI: Oh, really?

CN: And if my father -- my mother was already dead at this time -- but my mother, if my father and my sister really objected, I don't think that I would have gone through with it.

AI: Well, how, how did you break the news to your family?

CN: Well, it took me two weeks. And I will never forget. My father was reading the paper, and I was sitting in the rocking chair getting more nervous. My sister and brother-in-law -- my sister was married by this time -- I had discussed it with them, and they said that they would position themselves outside the apartment door so that when Father, or Papa, would explode, they would dash in and save me.

AI: So you were anticipating some kind of...

CN: Oh, yeah, I was. Though, my husband had come to the apartment, but a few of my Nisei men friends had come, too. I wasn't dating them, but we would all go out together. And so he finally said, "I wish you wouldn't be rocking like that, you're making me nervous." He was trying to read this paper, and so I said to him, "I have something to tell you." And he slowly put the paper down and he said, "What is it?" And so I told him and his response was, "Dame, dame," that's not good. And so I don't know what possessed me, I said, "Well, my mind is made up." And I almost flopped over dead when he said, "Well, if your mind is made up, I guess there isn't anything I can do about it, but we can talk about it." And, of course, "What about the children?" and, "You're going to face a lot of discrimination." And he said, "I think you could take it, but what about your, your friend?" And so I said, "Well, we've been, we've discussed it, and we know it's not going to be easy." So, so we got married. And...

AI: When was that? When did you get married?

CN: In 1950. And it was... well, we got married. His family didn't object openly, but it did take them a while to look upon me as their son's wife and that didn't upset me, I kind of, well, I expected it. And they were, they were nice to me, but I had some difficulty with my sister-in-law but, because she is almost twenty years older than my husband. And so as someone pointed out, I had two mothers-in-law rather than one. [Laughs]

AI: Right. She was almost another generation older.

CN: Yeah, uh-huh. And so for us to expect everyone to think this was great, was asking a bit too much. And I think we both went into it with our eyes wide open. And if I were to do it again, I would do it again.

<End Segment 34> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.