Internment – Time of Remembrance – Gladys Okino
First-Hand Accounts of the Japanese American Internment Experience
It is our hope that these stories will build on the work and legacy of the late Mary Tsukamoto, who devoted her life to promoting social justice for all, regardless of race, creed, or ethnicity.
Gladys Okino Interview
00:00 – Introduction
00:18 – Clip 1: Gladys remembers school days before the evacuation, her school was not segregated. She recounts the story of her parents’ immigration to the United States.
05:51 – Clip 2: Gladys shares the arson of her family’s church. The Japanese adolescents immersed themselves in the American pastime, baseball.
07:29 – Clip 3: She remembers the train ride as being very hot. The hot and dusty conditions were not only outside, but in high winds made living conditions inside the barracks unbearable.
09:54 – Clip 4: In the heat, Gladys ventured to another family’s barrack who extended kindness towards her. A member of that family later married her brother.
10:53 – Clip 5: Upon returning to Sacramento, Gladys and family discovers they have no home. They live in the neighbor’s house until they return. In the meantime, Gladys’s family builds a crude shack to live in.
12:22 – Clip 6: News of the restriction being lifted prompted the arson of Gladys’s church. Many internees stored their belongings in the basement of the church; thus, losing all of their possessions.
14:08 – Clip 7: Gladys shares her family’s resilience after facing prejudice upon their return home.
16:05 – Clip 8: Due to the Poston Internment Camp, the government brought water to the area. The camp was located on an Indian Reservation which never had water until the camp was constructed.
17:04 – Clip 9: The local Native American tribes remain thankful towards the internees, for the water and enhancing the landscape.
18:05 – Credits
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