110,000* Japanese, two-thirds American born, were all herded into the so-called “assembly centers,” which consisted of fair grounds, racetracks and livestock exhibition halls. Our destination was the Tanforan racetrack in San Bruno. On May 6, 1942, with MPs giving us the eye, we boarded the bus on Oak Street looking longingly at our town, the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island.
* The number has, since the time Harue wrote her memoir, been upgraded to over 120,000, not including those incarcerated from Hawaii and other countries.
Note: This is the first part of Harue Minamoto’s memoir, with minor edits. Continue reading Harue’s memoir:
Part 2: Tanforan
Part 3: First Winter in Topaz
Part 4: Dust-up in the Desert
Part 5: The Aftermath
About the contributor: Harue Hirai Minamoto was born in Oakland, CA in 1916. A graduate of Oakland Technical High School, she completed bookkeeping and secretarial courses at Merritt Business School and was hired by the U.S. Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services in 1937. After Executive Order 9066 was issued, she was forced to resign. She married Toshiro Minamoto in February 1942, shortly before they were incarcerated in Tanforan. Two of her three children were born in Topaz. Sponsored by a Quaker family, the Minamotos resettled in Philadelphia in 1944; but when Tosh was drafted in 1945, Harue and the children returned to Oakland. Harue often spoke of the injustices of incarceration to her children and grandchildren and never hesitated to inform others of what EO 9066 did to American citizens. She passed away in 1999. Her story was shared with us by her family: Melyssa Minamoto, Gay Kaplan, John Minamoto, Ed Minamoto and their children.
Copyright 1999, Harue Minamoto. All rights reserved.