Common Grounds

Growing up with both Japanese and American influences Starting to get angry Finding out Roosevelt wanted Japan to attack Strictly American, but sympathize with Japan Parents expected to be taken by the FBI Angry about the mistranslations of his father’s testimonies Not able to go to Manzanar on a furlough 525 Quartermaster Corps Fort McClellan soldiers “All I have dear to me is in the camp” Try to be a bridge between both countries Common Grounds Interpretation of Nikkei The Meaning of “Nikkei” (Japanese)

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In fact at the tour [at the Japanese American National Museum]…comes in – first question I ask to all the people who come – I say, “Why is this place called Common Grounds?” You know, and I tell them about except for the Native Americans Indians, they came from all over the world and we had something common when they came. Couldn’t speak the language, discrimination, new culture…new all that and then they had kids like us. We grew up and, you know, we have something in common and that’s why we call this thing a Common Grounds, cause this is a museum about Japanese Americans but you have the Jewish Museum – now that we have something common growing up together, so like I say, they are different people but we have something in common. Different background but it’s…so it make America so great, yeah.

Date: March 25, 2005
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Sojin Kim
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

common ground multi cultural