Shikami, James (10/25/2017)

Shikami, James (10/25/2017)

James Shikami, a nisei born and raised in Southern California, paints a detailed picture of his family's life before World War II. He recounts his father's entrepreneurial successes and failures and his own busy childhood attending Japanese language school and practicing kendo. With great clarity, he describes the family's preparation for and arrival at Manzanar, where his father served as a block manager and a respected member of the camp council. James recalls both the natural beauty and the terrible dust and wind, acknowledging that as the youngest child, he was spared the worst of the hardship. Arriving in Chicago after their release, James and his parents first joined his sisters and their children on the South Side before eventually moving to Lake Forest to work for a wealthy family. He descibes high school experiences that included athletic and academic success and social acceptance with certain limitations, and his frequent visits to Chicago to date Japanese American girls. He also discusses his experiences attending Lake Forest College and the University of Pennsylvania, working at Carson Pirie Scott, and reaching out to other identity groups in Chicago to express solidarity in the wake of 9/11 and rising anti-Muslim sentiment.

2017-10-25

video

Takada, Anna

Shikami, James

Nisei

Santa Monica, CA

Manzanar

Wind

Dust

442nd Regimental Combat Team

Lake Forest, IL

Football

Christ Church of Chicago

7500