Kristen Hayashi

The same time, you know, I think, again, they're living in this very hostile social climate. And so I think for Nisei, born here in the This is kind of a generalization, but I think a lot of them feel this pressure to be, you know, 200% American. And they are. They were born here in the United States to immigrant parents, but culturally they are really American.

The same time, you know, I think, again, they're living in this very hostile social climate. And so I think for Nisei, born here in the This is kind of a generalization, but I think a lot of them feel this pressure to be, you know, 200% American. And they are. They were born here in the United States to immigrant parents, but culturally they are really American.

The same time, you know, I think, again, they're living in this very hostile social climate. And so I think for Nisei, born here in the This is kind of a generalization, but I think a lot of them feel this pressure to be, you know, 200% American. And they are. They were born here in the United States to immigrant parents, but culturally they are really American.

And so, you know, while like my grandparents, for example, were Nisei, and I'm sure Japanese may have been their first language. But I never heard them speak Japanese. And, you know, I think that our family and so many other Japanese American families have lost, like, the language over the generations.

And so, you know, while like my grandparents, for example, were Nisei, and I'm sure Japanese may have been their first language. But I never heard them speak Japanese. And, you know, I think that our family and so many other Japanese American families have lost, like, the language over the generations.

And so, you know, while like my grandparents, for example, were Nisei, and I'm sure Japanese may have been their first language. But I never heard them speak Japanese. And, you know, I think that our family and so many other Japanese American families have lost, like, the language over the generations.

And I think it's really rooted in this time period when, you know, my grandparents growing up felt like that they couldn't, you know, speak Japanese and they needed to be American.

And I think it's really rooted in this time period when, you know, my grandparents growing up felt like that they couldn't, you know, speak Japanese and they needed to be American.

And I think it's really rooted in this time period when, you know, my grandparents growing up felt like that they couldn't, you know, speak Japanese and they needed to be American.

1930, Japanese American Citizens League is formed by Nisei, you know, swearing them an oath to the pledge and all the rest of it, but at the same time still claiming their Japanese heritage. That's the transition that's happening in the 1930s, really. And then along comes Pearl Harbor. And the attack on Pearl Harbor, which really changes everything.

1930, Japanese American Citizens League is formed by Nisei, you know, swearing them an oath to the pledge and all the rest of it, but at the same time still claiming their Japanese heritage. That's the transition that's happening in the 1930s, really. And then along comes Pearl Harbor. And the attack on Pearl Harbor, which really changes everything.

1930, Japanese American Citizens League is formed by Nisei, you know, swearing them an oath to the pledge and all the rest of it, but at the same time still claiming their Japanese heritage. That's the transition that's happening in the 1930s, really. And then along comes Pearl Harbor. And the attack on Pearl Harbor, which really changes everything.

How quickly, we all know, you know, the upshot of this, the detention camps that are built and so forth. But I'm curious how the shift happened so quickly. That's always interested me. Here you have a whole community of people who have, I assume, made friends and relationships in communities. And yet somehow this country does a U-turn on them so fast based on fear and paranoia.

How quickly, we all know, you know, the upshot of this, the detention camps that are built and so forth. But I'm curious how the shift happened so quickly. That's always interested me. Here you have a whole community of people who have, I assume, made friends and relationships in communities. And yet somehow this country does a U-turn on them so fast based on fear and paranoia.

How quickly, we all know, you know, the upshot of this, the detention camps that are built and so forth. But I'm curious how the shift happened so quickly. That's always interested me. Here you have a whole community of people who have, I assume, made friends and relationships in communities. And yet somehow this country does a U-turn on them so fast based on fear and paranoia.

Yeah. I mean, that's true.

Yeah. I mean, that's true.

Yeah. I mean, that's true.

I'm so glad that we set this up by starting with, you know, early immigration and just what the social climate was like, because I think it's important to talk about all the legislation that was passed between, you know, from like the turn of the 20th century all the way to 1924, because that sets up that there was this long trajectory of discriminatory legislation that was put in place that really affected the daily lives of Japanese Americans.

I'm so glad that we set this up by starting with, you know, early immigration and just what the social climate was like, because I think it's important to talk about all the legislation that was passed between, you know, from like the turn of the 20th century all the way to 1924, because that sets up that there was this long trajectory of discriminatory legislation that was put in place that really affected the daily lives of Japanese Americans.