From the Vault 269: Japanese in California 1959

In this edition of From the Vault we present Pacifica Radio’s earliest known recording of Japanese Americans and their families from California talking about life in America. This extraordinary 1959 recording documents stories of family life before the war and how the internment process changed lives forever. Voices include ordinary citizens, teachers, students, lawyers, architects, and farmers, and Hito Okada, one of the founders and former presidents of the oldest and largest Asian civil rights group, the Japanese America Citizens League.\nThe original recording was produced by Marshall Windmiller from Pacifica Station KPFA 94.1 in Berkeley California.\nThis episode of From the Vault was originally broadcast on July 8, 2011.\n