Canadian Race Relations Foundation

This historical scrapbook and collection of narratives provides readers with a highly personalized account of the forced uprooting of Japanese Canadians from British Colombia in the 1940s, in addition to an overview of their settlement into the Niagara peninsula -- successive waves of settlement which have spanned over 50 years. All nineteen narratives (organised in interview format) are told by Niagara residents of Japanese descendance. This collection is rich in photos and newspaper clippings. It also includes both a resource section and a glossary of terms.

Most of the nisei's immigrant parents are no longer with us, and, as you will discover in the interviews, rarely did they share their experiences, hurt or anger with their children. That was their way. For the most part, they remained silent. But 'the need for silence is past, and most of the remaining victims can now tell their stories.' It is up to the nisei who love freedom and justice to preserve their history and pass it on. (p.43) Most people don't know the story of what really happened to Japanese Canadians from the internment to the dispersal, and why we're here in the first place. I don't think people know the history of the settlement of Japanese Canadians in this area. There's a misconception that all of a sudden Japanese immigrants came to the Niagara area -- that wasn't the situation…. The Japanese Canadians are different. We were not immigrants from Japan, we were exiles who were forced out of British Columbia and had to settle somewhere. Some of us settled in the Niagara area. interview with Tom Matsushita (p.129)