Narrators

Narrators are the interview subjects of oral histories contained in the Densho Digital Repository. Our interviewees, or narrators, share their life histories to preserve history, educate the public, and promote tolerance. We urge our users to approach these materials in the same spirit.

981 narrators

Kunio Otani

Nisei male. Born July 31, 1921, in Seattle, Washington. Raised in Raymond, Washington. Incarcerated at Tule Lake concentration camp, California, and Heart Mountain concentration camp, …

Makoto Otsu

Nisei male. Born March 26, 1926, in Steveston, British Columbia, Canada. Grew up in Steveston, where father fished for a cannery. During World War II, …

Julie Otsuka

Sansei female. Born May 15, 1962, in Palo Alto, California. Mother was a Nisei who was incarcerated during World War II, and father was a …

Bennie Ouchida

Nisei male. Born April 10, 1917, in Oregon. Grew up in Gresham, Oregon, where parents ran a farm. Drafted into the army before December 7, …

Eddie Owada

Nisei male. Born December 22, 1925, in Tacoma, Washington. Grew up primarily on Vashon Island, Washington. Removed to the Pinedale Assembly Center and the Tule …

Albert A. Oyama

Nisei male. Born April 10, 1926, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Montavilla, Oregon, where father ran a Japanese-language newspaper. During World War II, removed …

Masuko Oyama

Nisei female. Born February 21, 1927, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Portland where parents ran a hotel business. During World War II, removed with …

Atsumi Ozawa

Nisei female. Born May 25, 1928, in Huancayo, Peru. Grew up in Huancayo, where father ran a successful store. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, …

Larry R. Pacheco

White male. Born November 4, 1922, in San Jose, California. Drafted into the military after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. During World War II, served as …

Frances Sumida Palk

Nisei female. Born July 31, 1939, in Portland, Oregon, where parents ran a hotel. During World War II, removed with family to the Portland Assembly …

HyeEun Park

Brent Seto and Bill Tashima interviewed HyeEun Park. HyeEun Park was Chapter President in 2013 and as a Korean American was the Seattle JACL's first …

Susan Brown Phelps

White female. Born March 1, 1941, in Bishop, California. During World War II, father was the assistant project director at the Manzanar concentration camp, California. …

Kerry Christenson Powell

White female. Grew up in California and moved to Lone Pine as a child. During World War II, visited the Manzanar concentration camp, California, on …

Chizuko Judy Sugita de Quieiroz

Nisei female. Born September 15, 1932, in Lodi, California. Grew up in Jersey Island, a small island in the Sacramento Delta. Following the bombing of …

Doreen Rapada

Female of First Squamish Nation and Filipino descent. Born August 3, 1943, on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Grew up on Bainbridge Island, where parents worked as …

Dotti Yasuko Tagawa Reisbord

Nisei-Sansei female. Born May 9, 1941, in Seattle Washington. An infant when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, family was sent to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, …

Edwin "Ed" L. Rothfuss

White male. Former superintendent of the Death Valley National Park. Involved with the establishment of the Manzanar National Historic Site.

Mika Kurose Ruthann

Elaine Kim led a panel interview of Ruthann, Paul, and Mika Kurose. The conversation also touched upon reflections about Aki Kurose, Seattle teacher and peace …

Kanji Sahara

Issei male. Born April 4, 1934, in Hiroshima, Japan, while mother and older siblings were visiting Japan for an extended period. Came to the United …

Barry Saiki

Nisei male. Born June 21, 1919, in Stockton, California. During World War II, served with the Military Intelligence Service in Japan.

Joe Saito

Nisei male. Born in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Oregon, where parents ran a farm. In 1941, volunteered for the army and served as a …

Margaret Saito

Nisei female. Born March 14, 1933, in El Centro, California. Grew up in California where parents were farmers. During World War II, removed with family …

Paul Saito

Nisei male. Born January 21, 1923, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in Carver and Ontario, Oregon, where parents ran a farm. Remained in Ontario during …

Sumi Saito

Nisei female. Born in Asher, Washington. Grew up in Vale, Oregon, where parents ran a farm. Remained in Oregon during World War II.

Toru Saito

Sansei male. Born December 11, 1937, in San Francisco, California. Nearly age four when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Removed with family to the Tanforan Assembly …
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