To me, the Japanese Canadian story is most meaningful as a story of social justice. Growing up, I often felt alienated from my Japanese ancestry, “less Japanese” than peers whose parents were born in Japan. What eventually made me feel able to claim my identity as a Japanese Canadian wasn’t anything about Japan, but rather...Continue reading
Author: Carolyn Nakagawa
Let me be a part of this community
As a child, most of what I knew about my heritage came to me from my white mother. As far as I am concerned, intermarriage is a non-issue. I think it’s dangerous to think of mixed-race people like myself as any less a part of this community: these types of discussions are alienating to people...Continue reading
I’ve always lived where my family is from
We all grew up in the so-called former “protected zone”. There was no missing piece to my family history growing up. My great-grandfather, a libertarian, sold his own boat. They never lived in the camps. Still, we’re a part of this community. Sometimes, in research, I find one of the names that I’m always watching...Continue reading
Family history
I am the youngest child of the youngest child. My grandparents never spoke about their past with me; I learn about it in bits and pieces through parents, cousins, aunts. As a university student, I studied Japanese Canadian history and kept stumbling across things that looked familiar: Steveston; Buddhist Church. I started to look very...Continue reading