him and gave their father a hug full of
assurance, worry and love. He let them go and stepped back, looking at them
with his usual serious look but there was a sense of somberness as well.
He then turned from his
children, walked in between and ahead of the two FBI agents. They were caught
off guard and followed him. The rest of the family followed the three men.
Minami’s father opened the door, paused for a moment, inhaled the evening air
and then walked out with the two men in tow.
The family crowded around
the doorframe with consternation on their faces. A sudden chill came over them
as they stared after their father, followed by two men in their dark trench
coats. “Where is Daddy going?” asked Yoshi looking after his father. “Your
Daddy will be back,” replied Mrs. Ito.
Minami’s father didn’t
return that night, nor the day after. They had lied.
S I X
“Stop!” was all that Minami
could cry out at the top of her lungs as she desperately clutched her mother
with one arm and shielded the back of her head with the other while holding
onto her purse. Mrs. Ito’s face was contorted in fear as she ran side by side
with her daughter as a small group of angry townsfolk chased them down the
street.
An empty glass bottle
smacked into Minami’s back and she responded instinctively by arching her back
as the thudding pain took hold. But Mrs. Ito didn’t give Minami a chance to
think about the pain and dragged her along.
The shouts from the
townsfolk had started earlier as they were walking home from the local fishing cannery
where they had taken up work. A middle-aged woman glared at them from across
the street and yelled out, “Burn in hell you goddamn Japs!” At first, Minami
and her mother simply ignored the woman, but her outburst encouraged others.
Another man yelled out, “Go back to where you fucking came from!” A teenaged
girl, feeling the boiling emotions, screamed, “I hope you all die! You dirty
Japs!” Feeling emboldened, the townspeople gave chase.
Minami and her mother
quickened their pace and rounded the corner just as another glass bottle
shattered to pieces on the pavement.
The angry townsfolk soon
gave up their chase but Minami and her mother, both gasping for air as their
hearts pounded furiously within their chests, continued to race home. When they
reached the metal fence surrounding their front yard, Minami’s mother struggled
with the latch on the fence as tears of fear clouded her vision. Minami choked
back her tears and held onto her mother’s arms until finally she managed to
swing the fence open, allowing the two of them to race up the path to the front
door of their house. Her mother fumbled for her keys and even though Minami
knew no one had followed them, she turned her head to look down the street and
continued pounding on the door. Miho heard her mother’s and sister’s frantic
shouts and raced to open the door allowing them to enter as the door slammed
shut.
As the weeks went on,
Minami’s mother held up well despite the uncertainty of her husband’s
whereabouts and the anger that erupted within the community. She knew she had
to be strong for the family’s sake. Holding the family together was her priority.
They may have taken her husband away, but they were not going to take away her
strength and commitment to her family. Other wives weren’t as strong. Mrs.
Yasuda burst into the Ito’s kitchen one early evening shouting hysterically how
they had just taken her husband and oldest son away.
But the growing anger from
the community started to take on a more frightening tone. Japanese Americans
were accosted in the streets. There were rumors of mobs taking their own action
against some Japanese Americans. Stores owned by Japanese Americans were vandalized
and bricks with frightening notes like “Die Japs!” were thrown through the
homes of some Japanese American families. People within the community who
appealed for calm were labeled
assurance, worry and love. He let them go and stepped back, looking at them
with his usual serious look but there was a sense of somberness as well.
He then turned from his
children, walked in between and ahead of the two FBI agents. They were caught
off guard and followed him. The rest of the family followed the three men.
Minami’s father opened the door, paused for a moment, inhaled the evening air
and then walked out with the two men in tow.
The family crowded around
the doorframe with consternation on their faces. A sudden chill came over them
as they stared after their father, followed by two men in their dark trench
coats. “Where is Daddy going?” asked Yoshi looking after his father. “Your
Daddy will be back,” replied Mrs. Ito.
Minami’s father didn’t
return that night, nor the day after. They had lied.
S I X
“Stop!” was all that Minami
could cry out at the top of her lungs as she desperately clutched her mother
with one arm and shielded the back of her head with the other while holding
onto her purse. Mrs. Ito’s face was contorted in fear as she ran side by side
with her daughter as a small group of angry townsfolk chased them down the
street.
An empty glass bottle
smacked into Minami’s back and she responded instinctively by arching her back
as the thudding pain took hold. But Mrs. Ito didn’t give Minami a chance to
think about the pain and dragged her along.
The shouts from the
townsfolk had started earlier as they were walking home from the local fishing cannery
where they had taken up work. A middle-aged woman glared at them from across
the street and yelled out, “Burn in hell you goddamn Japs!” At first, Minami
and her mother simply ignored the woman, but her outburst encouraged others.
Another man yelled out, “Go back to where you fucking came from!” A teenaged
girl, feeling the boiling emotions, screamed, “I hope you all die! You dirty
Japs!” Feeling emboldened, the townspeople gave chase.
Minami and her mother
quickened their pace and rounded the corner just as another glass bottle
shattered to pieces on the pavement.
The angry townsfolk soon
gave up their chase but Minami and her mother, both gasping for air as their
hearts pounded furiously within their chests, continued to race home. When they
reached the metal fence surrounding their front yard, Minami’s mother struggled
with the latch on the fence as tears of fear clouded her vision. Minami choked
back her tears and held onto her mother’s arms until finally she managed to
swing the fence open, allowing the two of them to race up the path to the front
door of their house. Her mother fumbled for her keys and even though Minami
knew no one had followed them, she turned her head to look down the street and
continued pounding on the door. Miho heard her mother’s and sister’s frantic
shouts and raced to open the door allowing them to enter as the door slammed
shut.
As the weeks went on,
Minami’s mother held up well despite the uncertainty of her husband’s
whereabouts and the anger that erupted within the community. She knew she had
to be strong for the family’s sake. Holding the family together was her priority.
They may have taken her husband away, but they were not going to take away her
strength and commitment to her family. Other wives weren’t as strong. Mrs.
Yasuda burst into the Ito’s kitchen one early evening shouting hysterically how
they had just taken her husband and oldest son away.
But the growing anger from
the community started to take on a more frightening tone. Japanese Americans
were accosted in the streets. There were rumors of mobs taking their own action
against some Japanese Americans. Stores owned by Japanese Americans were vandalized
and bricks with frightening notes like “Die Japs!” were thrown through the
homes of some Japanese American families. People within the community who
appealed for calm were labeled
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