Frank Yamasaki

(b. 1923) Nisei from Washington. Resisted draft during WWII.

Encountering racial discrimination at a public swimming pool Loss of happy-go-lucky adolescence in Puyallup Assembly Center Memories of dusty conditions at Minidoka incarceration camp Making the decision to resist the draft Thoughts on redress Starting over after the war: denial of all things Japanese Have compassion for all of humanity Thoughts on post-9/11 atmosphere: what it means to be American

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Nisei male. Born 1923 in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar childhood in South Park and Belltown areas of Seattle. Incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka incarceration camp, Idaho. Refused to participate in draft, imprisoned at McNeil Island Penitentiary, Washington, for resisting the draft. Resettled in Seattle.

*The full interview is available Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

discrimination racism assembly center camps internment Puyallup World War II minidoka draft resisters politics redress culture identity patriotism Post-World War II multi racial