Densho Digital Archive
Manzanar National Historic Site Collection
Title: Michiko Wada Interview
Narrator: Michiko Wada
Interviewers: Kristen Luetkemeier (primary), Larisa
Proulx (secondary)
Location: Laguna Woods, California
Date: November 20, 2014
Densho ID: denshovh-wmichiko-01-0009

<Begin Segment 9>

KL: Mess halls were very involved in what was called by historians the "Manzanar Riot" that happened in December of 1942 where there were a number of beatings and Harry Ueno was arrested.

MW: I don't remember the beating. You know, my mother told me, "If people gather, do not go there." Are you kidding? You're eighteen, you're curious as a devil, you just got to go see what's happening. And so that's what I (did). And all I know was some guys, people got shot, and oh my goodness, I ran home. My mother said, "I told you not to go." So I don't remember much of it except I know the people, three of them or so, they got killed. And the next day, for a week, we had to wear a black band on our arm, it was given to everybody and everybody had to wear 'em out of respect for the people that were killed. But they didn't have anything, there was nothing they could do, they didn't, you couldn't take anything in there. I don't know what they could have possibly had. The (guards) are way up there, there's no way you can, there's a fence before them, so I don't know how they would have thought that somebody could climb up there or maybe they thought they had a machine gun, I don't know. I didn't see any, but I don't really know that. But boy, that quieted that camp, I mean, really. And I know what it is, it's the older people are telling the younger ones, "No more." When we had to wear the black band on our arm, everybody did. Everyone was given a black band and they're supposed to wear it. But I don't know who the people were that was killed. I know there were some young people, but I don't know whether there were older people or not. It was a shame.

KL: The two who died were both young, a young man named Jimmy Ito who was probably about your age, and James Kanegawa who was a little bit older.

MW: Oh, that's right, that name.

KL: Did you know Jimmy Ito?

MW: No, but the name is familiar. It seems like I... I could have seen them in class and not remembered.

KL: How did you feel about the black arm band?

MW: We felt terrible. That we didn't... of course, we wore it out of respect, but we really felt terrible. So now when that kind of thing happened, then you're going to have older people, parents and all, telling you, "That's enough." I know that's what happened, no more killing, no more anything, no one should get hurt, no one's done anything. So I think that's what... that's what happened, because it was quiet after that.

KL: Where were you during the shooting?

MW: I was with the crowd.

KL: By the front, by the sentry posts?

MW: I was on the side a little bit more. I was with some friends, and oh my goodness, I ran home. I knew what was going to happen, I knew what I was in for, my mother would have heard about it. And you know, and me running home, she would know.

KL: What was that night like after you got home?

MW: Quiet, very quiet. I think the older people must have given all those young people, their families, a talk or two. That's what it was. I'm sure because that's what Japanese people do, their parents would talk to them not out in public as much as they will at home. And they will quiet them all down, I know that, even afterwards, if there was anything disruptive, they would quiet 'em all down, because that's how my parents were.

KL: Was your dad already back with you when that happened?

MW: No, he wasn't back yet at that time, it was too soon after we had gone in. I'm trying to think how long did he stay, was he gone? I can't remember. Does it tell you anything on there?

KL: The records say he came on June 7, 1942, which seems like it's not right, because the riot was in December of '42.

MW: Yeah, that's too soon.

KL: And you thought '43, so it could be an error, it could be wrong.

MW: It seems like it.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2014 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.