Internment – Time of Remembrance – Mary Tsukamoto Interview
The Time of Remembrance Program was created in 1983 by the late Mary Tsukamoto, Elk Grove educator and lifelong civil rights activist. In 1942, Mary, her husband Al, and daughter Marielle were forced to leave their home with whatever possessions they could carry and relocate to an internment camp in Jerome, Arizona. It was not until 1945 that Mary and her family returned to California, hoping to pick up the pieces of their lives in an atmosphere that was still charged with racial prejudices against Japanese-Americans.
With much determination and courage, she pursued a career in teaching and became one of California’s first Japanese-American teachers. Throughout her career, she worked tirelessly with local communities and schools to bring all races and ethnic backgrounds together. Part of her continuing local legacy is the Time of Remembrance Program, which she organized to bring Elk Grove students into contact with former internees to listen to their stories and to learn what it means to be an American citizen.
00:00 – Introduction
00:19 – Clip 1: Florin Community Before 1942
17:02 – Clip 2: Internment Years
38:15 – Clip 3: Returning to Florin in 1945
51:40 – Clip 4: Slideshow
54:25 – Credits
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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/
