Internment – Time of Remembrance – Jack Uyeyama
ack Uyeyama was born in Sheldon, California, in 1931. He attended Enterprise School until the outbreak of World War II. He was interned at both Jerome and Rohwer internment camps. Following the war years, he attended and graduated from Golden Gate Academy in Oakland. He went on to graduate from California State University, Sacramento, with a degree in sociology. He taught a few years in elementary school and then went into business for himself as a gardener.
Jack Uyeyama Interview
00:00 Introduction
00:18 – Clip 1: Jack describes growing up in Sheldon. Father farmed 10 acres of strawberries. Talks about depression era prices.
01:41 – Clip 2: Pearl Harbor attack and relocation to Fresno Assembly Center.
03:37 – Clip 3: Irony of “it takes a war to bring the nation out of poverty.” Mentions how good the food was at the Assembly Center in Fresno.
05:24 – Clip 4: 10,000 Japanese Americans in Jerome Camp.
07:56 – Clip 5: Mischief at Tule Lake; one finger salute; seagulls painted with the rising sun; agitating the guards.
08:49 – Clip 6: Banks foreclosed on many internees property since wages were very low in the camp.
10:01 – Clip 7: Jack no longer eats fresh strawberries because of eating them so much as a kid.
10:59 – Clip 8: He and his six brothers served in the US Army. Mother would be proud.
First-Hand Accounts of the 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.
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To learn more about the Time Remembrance Project, please visit: http://blogs.egusd.net/tor/
For more information about the Vietnam War, please visit: http://blogs.egusd.net/tor/interviews/vietnam-war/
