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

Miho Shiroishi

Nisei female. Born 1932 in Terminal Island, California. Grew up in Terminal Island, where father was a fisherman. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, father …

Beth Shironaka

Sansei female. Grew up in San Diego, California.

Kazuo Shiroyama

Nisei male. Born September 15, 1930, in Monterey, California. Grew up in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, where father was a fisherman. During World …

Bill Hiroshi Shishima

Nisei male. Born December 24, 1930, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in California where parents ran a successful grocery store business. During World War …

Hy Shishino

Nisei male. Born June 25, 1924, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in the Los Angeles area where parents owned a flower shop. During World …

Martha Shoaf

White female. Born June 28, 1919, in Los Angeles, California. Fourth grade teacher at Manzanar concentration camp, California.

Alice Abrams Siegal

Jewish female. Born January 23, 1924, in Seattle, Washington. Mother immigrated to the U.S. at age six from Russia, father was born in Lithuania. Alice …

Mary Blocher Smeltzer

White female. Born in 1915 in Texas. Grew up in La Verne, California, where family was active with the Church of the Brethren. During World …

Charles Z. Smith

Born February 23, 1927, in Lakeland, Florida. Left home at age fourteen to live under the educational supervision of Dr. William H. Gray, Jr., attended …

Emi Somekawa

Nisei female. Born May 10, 1918, in Portland, Oregon. Grew up in the small town of Brooks, Oregon, where parents ran a farm. Prior to …

Mary Jean Spallino

White female. Born June 18, 1919, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Grew up in Los Angeles, California, and attended UCLA. During World War II, recruited to teach …

Marjorie Matsushita Sperling

Nisei female. Born July 27, 1922, in Wapato, Washington. Grew up in Wapato, where family ran a farm. Was attending the University of Washington when …

Joy Misako S. Germain

Ana Tanaka and Dr. Kyle Kinoshita led a conversation with Joy Misako St. Germain, detailing how she became involved with JACL and became a Seattle …

Margaret Stanicci

Nisei female. Born December 28, 1918, in La Crescenta, California. Grew up in California where father operated a flower business. During World War II, removed …

Elaine Clary Stanley

White female. Born April 5, 1920, in Union town, Kansas. Grew up in California, where parents moved when she was young. During World War II, …

Sally Sudo

Nisei female. Born December 1, 1935, in Seattle, Washington. During World War II, removed with family to the Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and the Minidoka …

Kenji Suematsu

Nisei male. Born April 29, 1934, in Brawley, California. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Father was arrested by the FBI and mother had a …

Jiro Sugidono

Nisei male. Born October 25, 1923, in Watsonville, California. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, removed to the Salinas Assembly Center, California, and the Poston …

Ann Sugimoto

Nisei female. Born September 22, 1916, in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Venice, California. Married before World War II, and removed during the …

Shigeki Sugiyama

Nisei male. Born December 19, 1927, in Alameda, California. Grew up in Alameda. During World War II, removed to the Manzanar concentration camp, California. While …

Alice E. Sumida

Nisei female. Born July 18, 1914, in Osco Flaco, California. Grew up in Pismo Beach, California. During World War II, moved to a farm labor …

Frank Sumida

Nisei male. Born August 10, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois. Grew up primarily in Los Angeles, California, where parents ran a restaurant. After the bombing of …

Marshall M. Sumida

Nisei male. Born August 26, 1921, in Los Angeles, California. Grew up in the Los Angeles area prior to World War II. After the bombing …

Akio Suyematsu

Nisei male. Born October 30, 1921, in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Removed to Manzanar concentration camp, California, and was drafted into the U.S. army. Returned to …
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