Faces of America - PBS Show - A "hyphenated American" Story

Click Here to go to Website: Faces of America PBS Show

What it means to be Japanese-American: Kristi Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi’s heritage can be traced back to the Wakayama and Saga prefectures in Japan. Kristi’s paternal grandfather, Tatsuichi Yamaguchi, immigrated to Hawaii in 1899, making his way to the United States a few years later. Over a span of five decades, he persevered time and time again, living through the changing restrictions on immigrants from Japan. He finally was able to naturalize just four years before his death. During World War II, most Japanese-Americans served in the segregated, all Japanese-American, 442nd Regimental Combat Team. But Kristi’s maternal grandfather, George Akira Doi, served in the 100th Infantry Division, an otherwise all-white unit. He saw combat in Europe and was decorated as “unquestionably the company’s best soldier,” even as his wife and family spent the war years incarcerated in concentration camps.

Watch her video clip:
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The next showing of this can be viewed:

Sunday, February 14 — 4:30 pm
Channel 2 - WGBH
The Promise of America
Utilizing genealogical and genetic tools, Henry Louis Gates Jr. unearths the family histories of 12 prominent Americans in this series, beginning with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike Nichols and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

Click Here to go to Website: WWII Japanese Internment Camps in the USA

My thoughts:

I first learned of the WWII Japanese Internment Camps in the US in my history class at BHCC back in 2003. Prior to that I was unaware of these camps existed in the US. Shame on my elementary schools for not teaching this. Kristi too stated she was not taught that in school. Plus her family did not talk about it....so how is able to know who she really is.

I recognized Kristi as a great American figure skater. I felt for her when she was told about her maternal grandfather. She and her family miss him dearly. He was a great man to them. He was a great man to me, to us, to America. What great honor of having such a man who believed in America to fight for it...against the Japanese. He was among an all-white unit and they fought together....as brothers. I could never image what went through his every waking moment..knowing his family was in such a place of hatred, the concentration camps....they lived the war too...just a different battle field. I am proud of Kristi's grandfather...may her family talk about him, their past so others don't forget...so they don't forget...their heritage, what makes them who they are.