Thanks to the wonders of social media, we heard from a Yonsei descendant of a historic Tacoma Japanese American family, the Nishijimas, who owned the Yakima Fruit Market (above and below).
Stacey Nishijima Ferguson is her family’s historian, and says that the family is mentioned in Ron Magden’s book FURUSATO. The family rented a farm in Sumner, Washington, and eventually moved to Tacoma and opened a grocery store. During the war Satoshi Nishijima left Tule Lake and volunteered to train at Camp Savage Intelligence School in Minnesota. He is quoted in FURUSATO. “I’m both sad and glad, but I’m more glad than sad to be leaving to serve,” he told a friend. “It was a tough decision leaving my wife and mother, but I feel that I’m doing the right thing.” (152) After the war the family did not return to Tacoma.
With Stacey’s permission, we are sharing these historic photos of the family grocery store and Stacey’s reflections on going to the Tule Lake Pilgrimage in 2008 (below). Thank you, Stacey!
We hope to see many of you at our Day of Remembrance 2018.
*****
On the bus from San Francisco I was inspired by this journey I was about to take and what my Grandma and family and all the other innocent people went through. I thought I would share the words that came to me:
What If It Were Me?
As a small child I remember conversations about “Camp” were never spoken with a smile.
I vaguely remember whispers, stories and Shikata ga nai.
As I’ve grown my heart still questions why and what if it were me?
Would I have endured this “camp” with courage and dignity?
Would I have persevered and kept my head held high?
I wonder how I would have found the strength to survive.
Would I understand why my brothers would join the fight in this country’s war.
would we ever see them walking through our barracks door?
I understand why Mama cries at night, because she’s all alone.
She cries “everything we have is gone, are we ever going home?”
Would I understand why this happened to me, I’am just a young Japanese American…who wishes to be free.
Beyond these barbed wire fences is a home where I long to be.
I can only imagine what you must have gone through. What if it were me and what would I do?
Grandma because you endured
I thank you from the bottom of my soul. For all you had to suffer
I thank you for your role.
I understand who I am Because of who you were and because it happened to you, I never have to wonder……
“What if it were me?”
–Stacey Nishijima Ferguson
