George Akiyama in Livorno, Italy,
August 1945. Photo courtesy Linda Tamura and George
Akiyama |
The 2002
James B. Castles Endowment Lecture
Patriot
Voices
Linda
Tamura
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Military Police posting Civilian
Exclusion Order No. 1. More
information
|
CCRH's 2002 James B. Castles Endowment Lecture featured
Linda Tamura's presentation of Patriot Voices - a Dramatic
Readings Program. The program, based on oral
histories Tamura conducted with Japanese American veterans,
their families and other community members, presents the
experiences of residents of a small Oregon community during
World War II. Young Japanese American men from the community
served in highly decorated units of the U.S. Armed Forces
while their families were interned in government camps.
Yet by the end of the war, community members had removed
the men's names from the local war memorial and waged a
campaign to discourage their families from returning home.
The program examines divisive wartime issues through diverse
voices and multiple perspectives.
CCRH presented Patriot Voices at Portland State
University, Washington State University Vancouver, and in
Bend, OR (hosted and cosponsored by The High Desert Museum
and in partnership with Portland State University's Center
for Japanese Studies). An informal reception and booksigning
followed the programs. CCRH also sponsored a free teacher
seminar at Washington State University Vancouver in conjunction
with this program, based on a curriculum guide co-edited
by Linda Tamura - In This Great Land of Freedom: The
Japanese
Pioneers of Oregon.
Linda Tamura is Professor of Education at Willamette
University. She is the author of The Hood River Issei:
An Oral History of Japanese Americans in Oregon's Hood River
Valley.
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Linda Tamura
|
Thank
you very much for sharing this not often shared piece
of American history - learning about this has really
been an excellent addition to my knowledge of Japanese
American history and the history of America pre- and
post-WWII.
-WSU Vancouver audience member
|
|
I
came here because of my history class, and I'm so
happy I did. I really want to learn more about this
era as a result of the program.
-PSU audience member
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442nd veteran and oral history interviewee
Harry Tamura |
Patriot Voices participant Betty
Jean Harry |
It's
great to hear history from a different point of view.
-PSU audience member
|
|
I
feel proud to have been here tonight to learn about
this portion of history. What a terrific way to end
the evening! Thank you Linda for your hard work.
-WSU Vancouver audience member
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Linda Tamura talking with audience
members at PSU |
For more information about this or other CCRH programs,
please contact Andrea
Reidell or call (360) 258-3289.
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